Quorum
by eris fault
Summary: In a land ravaged by the conflict between gods and humans, a single Summoner rises to crush the Four Fallen Gods, save the world, and chase a few frogs. (Fem!Summoner AU, follows the game plot)
1. Chapter 1

**Hi there! Here is an AU fic for the mobile game Brave Frontier by GUMI. The protagonist is a female, and not from the BF universe. ****She's from Earth, but she isn't a self-insert. Since the universe rules of BF are really vague, I thought it would be better to do it like this so I could introduce _my _interpretation of the universe, and convey it in a way that doesn't break immersion. **

**Oh, who am I kidding. This is just self-indulgent trashfic. I refuse to feel bad about writing this; all discussion about Brave Frontier is either metagame or waifu talk. I'm writing this for the ladies, I suppose.**

**Some of these lines are paraphrased from in-game dialogued; paraphrased because most of it is awkward and cringey.**

**Apologies for this A/N. They'll mostly be at the end of chapters, where I'll also state my headcanons for introduced characters and such. **

* * *

If you had an opportunity to save the world, would you?

The expected answer was "yes," obviously. Which asshole would say, "No, I would relish in watching millions suffer and society crumble into an unrecognizable shadow of what it once was"?

It was one of those hypothetical questions people asked to fill the blank spaces of pauses in conversation, phatic expressions, not to be taken seriously. The expected response to the socially accepted "yes" was a nod or a wistful sigh, yearning for adventure (but not really, since there was a Calculus exam on Thursday).

The expected termination of this conversation was _not _to be flung into some mysterious vortex into a dark abyss, where a twinkling rainbow light asked for help with saving a world. She had been making a quick run to the convenience store for instant noodles and pretzels and then a mysterious voice asked her a question. Absentmindedly, she answered, and bam, she was sucked into a set of ornate monolithic gates.

_ I require your assistance in saving Grand Gaia,_ the light implored. They were soul-communing, or something, because the light had no voice. Maybe she was drugged. Maybe she had been hit by a car, or something, and was hallucinating in the last few moments of her life.

...Gaia? For the name of a mysterious fantasy world parallel to hers? How very cliché. She expected her subconscious to be a bit more creative. But then again, what kind of stick-in-the-mud would turn down such a chance, fake or not? It took a special kind of dunce to tell the all-powerful sparkle to fuck off. So she nodded in acquiescence, and before she knew it, a force sent her flying through the darkness at super-high velocity, again.

All she could hear was cold wind and all she could see was emptiness. The space between worlds was pretty desolate and depressing, she thought, before she was forced through the exit into a sunny meadow, her head hitting something hard as her vision blacked out.

* * *

"-up! Wake up!" A distant, feminine voice. The feeling of grass on her skin. A cool, refreshing breeze. Fuck saving the world, this was the life. She could lay here forever, the pale sun warming her body as she napped her days away-

"HEY! WAKE UP!"

Her eyes shot open, tranquility ruined. A girl was standing above her, her body blocking the view of the sun.

First impression: Wow, really cute. Her clothes were colorful and loose-fitting, pale blue hair flowing over her slender shoulders as she glared down, bright blue eyes darkened with irritation.

She puffed her cheeks out (adorably!). "Geez, I thought Lord Lucius sent me a dead Summoner! Not that he'd ever choose a weakling."

So the light's name was Lucius? Funny how little details like that could slip by during silly discussion about apocalypses in the synapses between universes. Well, Lucius had probably told her at one point, but she didn't pay attention. So, she had his (its? Lucius seemed neutral, but "Lord" implied masculinity) name down, but…

"Who are you?" she asked, sitting up. The girl huffed.

"I'm Tilith, Lord Lucius's advisor and your guide! I'm also a goddess!"

"…Guide?" Goddess? Goddesses were a thing? She noticed how Tilith's hair seemed to change color at the ends, depending on how the light hit it. She also noticed that she was in some meadow, with no recognizable landmarks or street signs in sight. A small crater surrounded her, presumably where Lucius had unceremoniously dumped her like the human trash she was.

…This was a lot to take in at once. For one, the grass here was greener than any grass she had ever seen in her life – it looked artificially emerald, slick with morning dew. She wondered if it would taste like spearmint if she plucked a blade out of the ground and ate it.

"You're kind of slow, aren't you? I'm your guide across Grand Gaia! You-" A rustling bush distracted Tilith from what seemed to be the beginning of a long rant, and something popped out.

It…it was… a mochi. A green tie-dyed mochi, with a darker green puffball on its head. Plump and soft-looking. She wanted to squish it.

Tilith screamed. "Eek, a monster!"

She quirked an eyebrow. "This is… a monster?" These were the things that were wrecking Grand Gaia so badly that Lucius felt the need to call on some random from another dimension to come help? She stared at it, trying to find the secrets of its devastation. The blob-thing stared back at her with shiny black eyes.

"Yo," it intoned, voice sober. Well, that sealed the deal. She was going to squeeze this stupid thing until it died, and then she was going to cuddle with its ghost until it died again. Was everything in Grand Gaia as disgustingly cute as this little guy and Tilith?

"What are you doing?!" Tilith interrupted as she started bending over to the pick the thing up.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" She was expressing herself. Haters like Tilith needed to calm themselves.

"You're a Summoner, aren't you? Summon your Units and kill it!"

Summon. Units. Yeah, okay, whatever. It was like she was dropped into a fantasy RPG all of a sudden, and instead of receiving a pleasant tutorial, she was being shamed for her lack of knowledge. See if anyone buys this game, Lucius.

"About that. How do I do that again?" And, furthermore. "Why would I want to kill something that's not even attacking me? That seems cruel."

Tilith froze, her eyes wide.

…Perhaps it was too soon to start poking holes in the faulty universe rules.

"You mean, you don't know that much…? Lord Lucius wouldn't send a _complete novice_ to save the land, would he?"

_Girl, your faith is astonishing. Lucius didn't only send a complete novice, he sent a clown as well! _She wanted to exclaim. But she didn't want to explode Tilith's brain, so she tried summoning anyway. She closed her eyes, and tried to picture something taking shape. Something powerful.

It didn't work. Seriously, what the fuck was a Unit? It was one of the most painfully generic words in the world, that's what.

Uh oh, Tilith was looking at her oddly again. _Come on, come on, Units. Come out so we can beat up this adorable creature and keep Tilith sane and cute._

A feeling like _snap_, like a thread being pulled taut, reverberated through her mind. It was alien and hard to describe. A silhouette appeared in the clearing in a flash of white light.

It was… a dude.

Say what, now? He had a mane of wild blond hair, large, scarred hands holding a gargantuan sword. He acknowledged her with solemn eyes, and nodded.

"Summoner." So she actually was a Summoner. She had done it, albeit in the most bull-shitty way ever, but no one had to know that.

"Hi," the Summoner replied, giving a little wave. Tilith relaxed.

"You summoned Warrior Eze? It seems like you have potential, after all."

* * *

The resulting fight could hardly be called a fight. One super-muscled man was no match for a lone Mossy, she learned that it was called. She felt like a complete scumbag as she watched Eze smack the creature with the flat of his sword, its body disintegrating into a white haze. _It feels like I'm one of those dudes who runs a dog-fighting ring… not that Eze is a dog, but still. _

When the battle was over, he nodded at her again and disappeared. The thread in her mind relaxed, and she relaxed in turn. Through the connection, she could _feel_ Eze inside of her, innuendo be damned. His frustration when he was tackled by the Mossy, the feeling of the ground scraping his palms as he was knocked off his feet, and the ultimate satisfaction at winning the battle. The sensation of being so attuned with another made her uncomfortable, and she welcomed the termination.

Tilith seemed to have accepted the possibility that the Summoner was a newbie. When the haze that used to be the Mossy floated towards her, Tilith remarked, "Sometimes when you defeat monsters, they can choose if they'd like to join you or not as a unit. The stronger you are, the higher chance!"

From what she could parse, did this mean that Eze, who appeared human for all intents and purposes, was the same as the green blob she had just delivered the sickest of smackdowns to? The word "unit" seemed to encompass quite a lot.

The white smokiness dissipated around her and she probably breathed it in. Gross. The Summoner felt another tug as a new thread formed in her mind, and pulled on it. The Mossy appeared in her arms, unharmed.

"Sorry about that, little guy," she whispered, plucking berries from a low bush and offering them to the creature, who devoured them with gusto.

Tilith gave her an odd look. "You don't need to have Units out when you're not fighting."

"I don't mind."

She didn't relent. "The more you use your ability, the more tired you'll be, and you could really stand to treat me with more respect! I'm a goddess, you know-" Cue another rant.

* * *

The land of Grand Gaia was once prosperous, until the Gods decided to destroy humanity. At that point, humans had become powerful, and were capable of fighting back against the gods. The resulting war razed the land and made it uninhabitable, so only monsters could wander the ruins of once-glorious civilizations. Apparently, a group of deities referred to as the Four Fallen Gods have been stirring up trouble, prompting the god of the gate, Lucius, to send his closest advisor Tilith and a powerful summoner on a quest to investigate their activity.

Except for one thing. She wasn't a powerful summoner. She was an average person with average capabilities and aspirations. Who could summon, but that felt more like a lame fluke than destiny. She didn't really know what to say to Tilith. _Sorry, but I'm not the hero you're looking for?_

Tilith also said that summoning in itself was an ability to draw from powers of "ages past," in the form of old heroes. This made her the ghost whisperer, essentially. Spooky.

"I'll explain more to you later. Why don't you take a break?" Tilith suggested, pointing to a rustic-looking gate, ivy twining up its edges. "If you walk through there, you can go home and rest. I'll wait for you here." The goddess's orneriness melted away, and she gave the Summoner a bright smile. "We can't have our hero being tired, after all!"

_Cuuute_. The Summoner resisted the urge to hug Tilith to death (that maybe could be seen as psychotic) and nodded, walking through the gate.

_ Oh, hello darkness, my old friend_. She started walking. And walking. And she walked some more.

It had to have been at least an hour. A feeling of dread welled up in her. What if she was stuck in this place forever? Tilith said that this place would lead her home, but was it really that easy?

Over time, the fear gave way to anger, mostly at Lucius. Stupid talking glitter who couldn't even pick a Summoner from this universe. Her life had been nowhere near as interesting as it was now, but at least it had been shrouded in way less darkness.

When she saw the distant pinprick of light slowly growing closer as she walked, she didn't notice that she had broken out into a run, sick of the constant abyss. It grew into the rectangular shape of a gate opening, and she rushed out-

-straight into a body.

"Sorry," she said as she helped the boy up. She hefted his lance off the ground (which was heavy! How did he carry it without breaking his back?) and handed it back to him, distracted, staring at her surroundings.

This wasn't home.

It was a civilization, which was a step up from monsters and trees. The village emanated quaintness; the scarecrow standing in the middle of a nearby field seemed to scream "I am a quaint and pleasant scarecrow, hello! :)"

But. It. Wasn't. Her. Home. Did Tilith assume that she was from this place? She felt foreign and uncomfortable, like an anomaly that shouldn't exist.

The boy was staring at her. Had he asked something?

"Hey, can you tell me where I am?" she asked faintly.

His look became more wary, like he was staring down live wire and was about to be electrocuted at any second. "You're in the Village of the Venturer in Elgaia."

Gaia. There it was again. Not home.

"Okay, I'm going to do something that might be a little crazy," she told him, looking dead serious into his eyes. They were a pretty shade of blue. "But I'm not crazy. I swear."

Not socially-defunct crazy, anyway. Her brand of insanity was just for fun, but that was beside the point.

She finally let the stress and tiredness overtake her, and started bawling.

* * *

"Alright, so you're not from this world," the boy, whose name she learned was Karl, said. "And you were pulled here by the god Lucius from your… _alternate dimension_…even though we have plenty of talented summoners here, in order to stop the evil plot of the Four Fallen Gods. And you have a temperamental goddess named Tilith helping you along the way." She nodded, slathering a generous amount of apricot preserve over a thick slab of sweet brown bread.

When she turned on the waterworks, Karl had stood still panicking, trying to calm her down (he had even tried giving her a piggyback ride). A nearby elderly lady had invited them in, so "the young lady could calm down." It was kind of stupid, actually. She had stumbled out of a gate, toppled a native, and started crying. Her behavior suggested that she was an escapee of an insane asylum. If she saw herself in that state, she would have avoided her because she was obviously a _crazy person_. She definitely would not have let her into her house, and fed her food, and maybe people were just _really nice_ in Elgaia and this was culture shock.

"Okay, I know that this doesn't help my case much, but I'm not lying," she said, mouth full of bread. There were nuts baked into it, mmmm. She wondered if there were any chores she could do for the old lady, as thanks for her charity.

"Did you cry because you couldn't get back home?"

Wow. He hit the nail on the head.

"Yeah. I was feeling tired and frustrated, and I had just summoned for the first time. I was overloaded and I guess I just… broke, for a moment." She grinned sheepishly. "Thanks for not leaving me to rot in the street, there."

"Of course. I would never leave someone in trouble like that." He smiled, taking a sip of tea from his cup. And wow, what a smile. Was it the water they drank in this world? Is that why everyone was so good-looking? "And… I believe you. Your story is odd, but I believe you."

…Really. "Why?" she asked. Even she didn't believe that her story was true. In the "real world," she was probably lying in a pool of her own blood, speeding truck long gone, her dying brain coming up with a vivid hallucination in its attempts to stay alive.

His voice was warm. "I can tell by looking into your eyes. You're an honest, good person. If you need my help, I'll watch your back."

What.

What kind of logic was that? What kind of _shounen-anime_-protagonist nonsense was he spewing? Was Karl the crazy one here? Were all Elgaians this ridiculously nice and hot? Despite her incredulity, she felt better knowing she had another human ally, if he wasn't insane.

He was saying something. She should really pay attention, hmm.

"-summoning? Only summoners can walk through those gates, but you don't dress like a summoner from the Akras Summoners' Hall. You look like a civilian," he said. She looked down at her attire: a white Hello Kitty sweatshirt, black leggings, and beat-up aqua sneakers with no socks. Prime quick-run-to-the-convenience-store clothes, not so good for battle.

"It was my first time," she said. "A monster appeared, and I summoned a guy…Eze…or something. It was really weird and uncomfortable. I could feel the weight of his sword in his hands, like I was the one holding it."

Karl laughed. "I understand your discomfort. The first time I summoned a Unit, I wanted to throw up from the feeling. You get used to it, though. It's actually pretty useful because you can communicate nonverbally during battle through your connection, with time."

So Karl was a summoner, too? She noticed his armor and greaves in addition to the large, dangerous-looking lance he carried. He seemed nice and receptive to her insanity.

Hopefully he could answer her questions better than Tilith could.

* * *

"Uh, run that by me again?" She ran her hands across the cold, rocky wall, the cold iron chains attached embedded in them. There was an altar in the front of the room. "Is this a sex dungeon?"

Karl gave her a blank, questioning look_. _She coughed, embarrassed. "Never mind. Ignore me when I ask questions like that, please. But what do you mean by 'powering up'?"

He lit a torch, the only light source in the dank room. "In battle, you can form bonds with existing monsters as Units. I believe that you said the connection felt like strings to you," he explained, leading her to the center of the chamber. There was a circle of five smaller circles, and a sixth one in the middle, inscribed patterns ornate and beautiful.

"You can dissolve these bonds, and this will cause energy to be released. You can use this energy to power up other Units. Certain Units are very well-suited to being used in fusion."

It sounded a lot like chemistry. She nodded in understanding. She pulled on her connection with Mossy, and it appeared in her arms. "So how do I do it?"

He showed her where to put the Mossy, and where to put Eze (it felt weird commanding a fully-grown man around…). For some reason, this process required money, so she obediently threw a few golden coins onto the altar as per Karl's instructions. She lost a Mossy and gained a stronger Eze.

"If you fuse units of the same element together, you'll get more energy for your efforts and money," Karl said as they left the underground shrine. "There's more to it, like Unit types and Burst leveling, but this is all you really need to know for now. I think I have a book about it, from when I was a beginner…"

* * *

She had been too engrossed in the book Karl had given her. Tilith chewed her out thoroughly when she returned to the meadow four hours later, but she had cleared the prairie out with ease, feeling much more well-adjusted than before. Maybe she could get Eze to say more than a single sentence.

Feeling a bit better, she walked through the gate to the Village of the Venturer.

Wait. Where was she going to sleep? She had picked up some zel from the monsters she had defeated (from the people the monsters ate, the book said), but was that enough to afford a night at an inn?

…

Maybe she could bunk with that scarecrow for the night.

"Oh, there you are!" It was Karl again, waving at her from a distance. She waved back.

"Hey, Karl. I have like twenty different slimes now," she said proudly. He beamed and ruffled her hair, somehow conveying warmth through cold steel gauntlets.

"Good for you! You're on the way to being a great summoner," he said. Karl had this ability to make sentences that would be sarcastic in any context sound genuine and sweet. She grinned. "I'll give you a reward for your hard work."

Cue cheesy porn music.

She let him take her hand and followed him to another gate, this one much taller than the one she used for travel between regions. Then, he grabbed her wrist and dropped something into her open palm.

"Is this a wedding ring?" she teased.

It was not a wedding ring. It was a small pile of shiny stones that shimmered in the light. They reminded her of Tilith's hair, actually. She stared, transfixed.

"You put the Gems in the slots here," he said, gesturing to slots near the left side, "and concentrate. You can't choose who exactly you Summon, but the most powerful Units are called from this Gate. Gems are pretty rare, after all."

Rare? Why would Karl give something considered rare to someone who was essentially a stranger? She felt suspicion well up in her, conflicting with the part of her mind that insisted that Karl was probably just really nice.

"Anyways, there's been rumors of a powerful monster in the Morgan region, so the Summoner's Hall has assembled a demon slayer squad, which I'll be fighting in. I won't be back in a while, probably."

She had the impression that there was more to the story – Karl seemed young to be fighting "powerful monsters," much less fighting in a squad. She had trouble picturing the gentle boy in a violent situation at all, actually.

"Congratulations," she said, not sure what else was appropriate. "I'll miss you, though. You're my only friend here other than Tilith."

"Thanks. And don't worry. We'll be fighting on different fields, but we're fighting the same battle. Train hard, so we can bring peace to this world." His eyes crinkled in a smile, gorgeous lapis framed by long lashes, as he gave her what she assumed was a military salute and walked away.

…Wow, he was good. Her heart was fluttering and stuff. He'd make a pretty good leader, with his natural cheesiness and earnestness, she thought.

Joking aside, it would be lonely without him. Karl was the first actually friendly face she had seen here – Tilith didn't count, as she had been scowling at her when she opened her eyes. Now, she actually felt motivated to practice, fueled by friendship rather than empty doomsday talk.

She looked at the gate in front of her, and the sparkling stones in her hands. Like how Karl showed her, she fitted the five gems into the small indentations.

…

Nothing.

She stared blankly. What was she supposed to do now?

_ Hola, gate. Apparently I feed you gems and then you spit out a strong Unit for me. Nothing's happening right now, and it's kind of awkward. So could you be a bro, and-_

In the midst of her humorous monologue, she failed to notice the gate rumbling, first faint, then reaching a crescendo as a bright light (_always light_, she griped. _Fuck you Lucius this was absolutely somehow his fault_) flashed and overtook her vision.

Then, as her sight returned, she felt weight on top of her, one strong hand clutching her wrists above her head and the other holding something sharp to her throat, gently pressing against the soft flesh of her neck and drawing a thin line of blood.

Acid-green eyes peered down at her, glinting with hostility. The bottom half of his face was covered with a black mask, but she could tell that he was scowling.

"Who the fuck are you?"

* * *

**_Tilith _is Lucius's adviser and goddess. She's cheerful and kind, but somewhat vain. She gets wrecked in canon _a lot, _and has inconsistent power levels, which I'd like to change.  
**

_**Eze **_**is one of the six heroes who rose up against the gods when they launched their attack on humanity. He is taciturn and rough-around-the-edges, but polite to women.**

_**Karl **_**is a talented young Summoner and head of the 24th Demon slayers division. He is annoyingly good at everything. Canonically, he is childhood friends with the protagonist, but in this story, they meet for the first time at the beginning.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, I _did_ warn you that this story would be ridiculously self-indulgent.**

* * *

He was not one often summoned by the gate. The gem toll was too high for many summoners, who would only be able to summon a unit of higher caliber once or twice in their entire careers.

The idea of the "rare-summons gate" was somewhat misleading, actually – the process of slotting gems into the gate implied that they were some type of currency that allowed summoners to purchase powerful units. Rather, gems were conduits. They helped a summoner overcome the high power cost required to summon a particularly powerful unit, but all of this power came from within the summoner themselves.

A gem in the hand of a weak summoner was useless. However, there had always been a trend in which more powerful summoners came across more gems, and less powerful ones seldom saw them. Now, this was a case of correlation versus causation – power did not mean that the person was attracted to gems. Rather, the powerful were attracted to dangerous places where gems could be found.

And with gems, a summoner could do amazing things they couldn't do normally. Bring back Units from the cusp of death in an instant, expand their powers, open vortexes to distant dungeons… the possibilities were frightening. But with the most gems in the hands of the most talented, it was very much a rich-become-richer while poor-stay-poorer scenario. Combine this information with the military and economic power the Akras Summoners' Hall held, and the implications were sinister.

Of course, few people wished to hear about that. Most of the summoners who called upon him were immature magpies who had somehow managed to obtain gems, some unscrupulously, demanding to know his burst abilities and attacking power. It was saddening... He almost preferred the summoners who treated him like magically talented oxen – complete this amount of combat in one day, never exchange words. On the other hand, while these summoners were less annoying, they lived longer than the immature ones, which meant he'd be obliged to maintain a bond with them for longer.

When his previous summoner had dissolved their contract for some spare pocket change, he was happy never to see him again. After that, he spent a long while wandering aimlessly through Grand Gaia, enjoying the scenery and meeting with old friends.

He felt the familiar feeling of tendrils of energy reaching out to him, warm and seeking, wrapping around his being as a bond was created against his will.

What kind of sorry excuse for a human would the summoner be this time?

As the shape of a gate opened in the distance, he sighed, walking towards it, boots clacking against the empty abyss that served as a ground.

* * *

She watched the gate with dread, clutching the makeshift shield/pot lid in front of her stomach in case she was stabbed.

What kind of insane Unit would she summon this time? How would he or she try to kill her? Moreover, why did she keep coming back to the gate like an abused spouse?

Einstein once said something about insanity being "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Was she insane?

…Well, it wasn't anything new if the answer was "yes."

* * *

The first thing that had surprised him as he exited the gate was the feeling of a surge of _power. _Even though the gems provided ample power for summoning, the Akras Summoners' Hall taught its trainees how to clamp down on a Unit's power outside of battle, effectively declawing them. The humiliating sensation was not present as he walked through the threshold, cool night air and the sound of cicadas assaulting his senses.

The second thing that had surprised him was the one who presumably summoned him.

She was dressed like an imbecile, for one, so maybe she was one of _those _summoners. She wore simple clothes, a thin white sweater over black tight pants, and ragged shoes that looked to be on their last legs. What looked to be a pot was placed over her head, while she clutched its lid to her stomach like a lifeline. Her eyes were screwed tight, as if she was dreading some incoming impact.

They stood there, only the sound of bugs audible. Then, she slowly opened one eye.

Her back straightened.

"Yo," she said, extending a cautious arm. "I'm your Summoner. Who are you?"

He took her hand, and she flinched. Interesting. "My name is Zephyr." They shook hands, and she withdrew hers, staring at him with weary eyes.

Another awkward pause. Then, her face broke out into an ear-splitting grin, and she threw her head backwards, jubilant.

"YES! Someone who hasn't tried killing me!"

A light flicking on in a house in the distance, and: "Shut the hell up, brat! Some of us have to work in the morning!"

She muttered, "Oh shoot," and gave a nervous laugh.

"Okay, you haven't tried disemboweling me yet, which makes you the best out of the three goes I've had at that stupid cursed gate," she said, flicking her head towards a sacred monument of power and ritual.

Most summoners learned to drain the power out of their Units when they are brought into Elgaia, to prevent them from going on a rampage. But she hadn't, he thought, brain working rapid-fire to interpret everything he had seen so far. Was this a conscious decision on her part (overconfidence, perhaps) or had she never learned? She seemed like a novice judging by her clothing and childish demeanor, but fifteen gems used for three summons was hardly trivial.

"We can talk at home," she said, walking ahead of him. He noted the ease with which she showed her back to him. A novice, then.

He rarely spoke to summoners unless prompted (his explanations were tended to be shot down), but she seemed to have accepted it without rebuff, and his curiosity prompted him to ask: "May I ask how long you have been a summoner for?"

She turned her head, and over her shoulder, said, "Um, two days? More like one and a half."

If Zephyr was a less composed and agile man, the surprise would have caused him to trip over the large tree root sticking out of the ground. The Summoner hadn't fared as well, scraping her forehead on the dirt and letting out a slew of profanity.

…Fifteen stones in less than two days. It seemed infeasible. Was she lying?

If not, he wasn't sure how to feel about so much potential for power being hidden in someone who didn't seem particularly intelligent.

* * *

Zephyr hadn't tried to murder her on sight, so he was her favorite after Eze. He also hadn't said a word since she told him that she had been summoning for two days, though. Was he judging her, or something?

He was quiet and broody, and seemed like the judgmental type. With an outfit consisting of a lot of tight black leather and buckles, he looked like he belonged in a punk-rock band more than on the front lines of an army. His hair was pretty sweet, though – how did he get it like that? She had to ask him once he accepted the fact that they were best friends. The moment he stepped out of the gate, his harsh cobalt eyes had been alert, taking in as much information as possible before _not _attacking her.

It had been suspiciously easy. Maybe he was planning to kill her when she wasn't expecting it. She'd prefer an up-front murder attempt, she thought, wincing as she recalled her previous two summonings at the gate. She slowed for a moment, so that she could walk in step with him.

"Zephyr?" The name sounded familiar, she thought. Perhaps she had read it in passing in a history book?

"…Yes?" came the tentative reply.

"Why aren't you trying to kill me?" There, she had voiced it as delicately as possible. Hey, subtlety was not one of her strong points.

His eyes narrowed.

"…"

Well then. Had she accidentally said something offensive?

Moron, moron! She had to get better acquainted with the social norms and customs; she made a crown of peonies for Tilith earlier and apparently that was the equivalent of an antiquated marriage proposal. A stuttering, blushing apology followed, and it was awkward and terrible.

She would have kept berating herself for her natural mediocrity, but Zephyr decided to grace her question with a response: "Most summoners know to siphon power from a Unit they have summoned in Elgaia, to prevent the less stable individuals from wreaking havoc or hurting innocents." His voice was soft but authoritative, like someone who was completely confident in his capabilities. Like he _knew _that what he said was worth listening to, and anyone intelligent would also know.

Interesting.

"As I walked from the gate from Grand Gaia to Elgaia, I noticed that you hadn't put any limitations on my power. I suspect that whoever else you summoned was surprised by this, and the surge of power along with the perilous circumstances caused them to attack the first person they saw. You."

She hmmed. "What circumstances are you referring to?"

"The act of being summoned," he said as if it was obvious.

This implied two things: either the act of summoning was a physically stressful experience for a Unit (she cringed with guilt at the possibility), or Units had a reason to be on their guard while being summoned.

There was still a lot to this world that she didn't understand. She wished she still had reception on her phone, with a working charger and outlet. It died last night. She cried a little.

Of course, their conversation implied something much more important on a whole.

Zephyr was a pretty smart guy. A nerd, if you will. And he seemed comfortable with answering her questions.

This was going much better than her first two summons.

* * *

_Two days ago_

* * *

"And in conclusion, you're the only man I can trust in this world, Eze," she said tearfully, leaning against his back. Maybe Karl too, but he was way too nice to be real, so he was probably a serial killer.

They had just cleared all of the Cave of Flames and the Adventurer's Prairie, and had two goblins and a multitude of slimes for their troubles. It was harder than anticipated – she lost a good inch of hair due to a stray fire attack from a Burny, who was a complete sweetheart and apologized for it. She felt somewhat vindicated when it joined her after Eze destroyed it.

Anyways, Eze and his dream team of slimes (they were _so_ _cute_. She squealed a little on the inside when they swarmed him for a group hug after defeating a difficult enemy) dispatched the enemies with relative ease, until they reached the final foe of the cave.

He was a boy about her age, with bulging muscles and dark, scarred skin that suggested a lifetime of hardship. He wore filthy, tattered red pants and his onyx eyes gleamed with an animalistic intelligence.

She hadn't noticed this. What she did notice, however, was the two foot long, razor sharp _claws _coming out of his clenched fists. What the hell.

The ensuing fight was bloody. The slime quartet had been decimated. Her small supply of cures was barely enough to sustain Eze as he felled the feral boy. Guilt surged up and tugged at her insides as she watched Eze pick himself up, crimson ribbons raked across his arms and abdomen.

Why hadn't she brought more cures? She threw her arms around him, despite both being sweaty and disgusting after the hours they spent in the muggy cave.

"I'm so sorry-" she gushed, not noticing how he stiffened in her grip. "This is my fault. I absolutely suck and now you're hurt I'm so _sorry _I could have done something to make it safer for you but I didn't! Sorry sorry sorry-"

She would have started crying again (the second time in what, four hours? Good job, Summoner!), if Eze hadn't gingerly placed a hand on her head and patted her. "What do you mean?" he asked. Somehow, he had guided her into a sitting position, and carefully placed himself next to her, mindful to hide the wince that crossed his face for a brief moment as he felt the sting of his injuries.

But she noticed. Lucius, she would have to bake him the biggest apology cake ever.

* * *

"W-well, after that first battle we had, Karl gave me gems. He said I could summon a really rare Unit with them," she began.

Eze nodded, prompting her to go on. After forming a contract with his Summoner, he had been surprised to discover how open her mind was. That is, she allowed him free entry into her consciousness, and as a result, he learned that she was alien to Grand Gaia, and had little to nothing in combat experience.

He refused to underestimate her, though. He recalled a pair of young women from another world who were a terrifying force to behold during the war with the Gods. He was sure that this girl, handpicked by Lucius, had the potential to grow into something otherworldly.

What threw him off was how _touchy_ she was. His Summoner was always quick to physical contact and bawdy humor, acting more like an enthusiastic schoolchild than the commander she should be. Sitting here, next to her as she spoke with uncharacteristic solemnness made him _uncomfortable._

But at least that had been better than when she tried hugging him. He started at that, pain jolting through his body at the sudden movement.

Vargas had always teased him for his aversion to physical contact and awkwardness around women. Eze wondered what his old comrade would have to say about this situation, and then he decided that he was glad the fiery swordsman wasn't present.

Somewhere between the one-liners and the profanity, he had grown – dare he say it – fond of the otherworldly girl and her strange mind. If he was going to have to fight for her, perhaps forging a friendship wouldn't be too horrible.

She continued. "I put the gems in the gate, and I waited for a second, but nothing happened. And then…"

* * *

"Who the fuck are you?" the man pinning her down inquired, voice soft and smooth like velvet, threat and danger entwined with mystique. She cringed, neck edging away from the sharp edge of his blade, which prompted him to press it against her throat harder.

"Y-you know, it's kind of hard to talk when my throat is in danger of being ripped apart if I move my head slightly to the left," she said, immediately regretting it. Bad brain, letting her mouth off its leash. She had no idea who this person was, and if he would kill her for being rude.

He fixed her a _look_ with his poison-colored eyes. Then she felt something _shuffling _in her head, a decidedly gross feeling, and then the weight on top of her disappeared. She was hefted like a sack of produce to her feet, and a gloved hand lifted her chin upwards.

Wow, weird assaulter Unit was _tall. _He was built to stand out – he stood at least six feet high, harsh green eyes clashing with messy fuchsia hair. His outfit seemed ninja themed, but also looked borderline-gaudy, with a tattered scarlet cape and metallic armor. His choice in wardrobe also revealed his abs, which she decided were _quite nice. _

He followed her gaze down to his stomach, she just knew that he was smirking. She flushed against her will. A part of her was screaming that this was cliché and lame and maybe, just maybe being attracted to this guy was a _horrible _idea.

"Really," he muttered, swiping his thumb across her chin absentmindedly, "I can't believe they let someone like _you _be a summoner. That you managed to call upon me is laughable." He shoved her, and she fell on her bottom with an _oof_. Oh hello there, grass stains. She scowled at him.

"My name is Kuda," he said, walking circles around her like a cat circling an injured bird. "I specialize in assassination. I will fight for you, but I expect to be _paid _for my services."

Gosh, the innuendo was _begging _to be remarked upon, but even her stupid brain recognized that this wasn't the best situation to be joking in. Kuda seemed to be making the suggestions consciously, too.

…Hmmm. She had come across a worthy adversary, it appeared.

"What's your price then?" she asked, deciding to play his game.

"If you have to ask the price, then you can't afford it," he all but sang.

"Well then." This was odd. Was he flirting? Which psychopath threatens a girl's life, insults her, and then flirts with her? "It seems like we are in a quandary, Kuda." She placed her hands in the soft grass, leaning back a little. It was time to resort to the strategy she used back home when weirdoes tried hitting on her: put on the Distant Icy Bitch façade.

"Indeed, Summoner." Then he was right behind her in a burst of sudden speed, cape fluttering with the effort. He bent over, and all she could see was his tanned face. His finger stroked her collarbone lightly, the feeling tickling and uncomfortably intimate. Now, he was in her personal bubble, and that was not okay. She opened her mouth to complain, but he interrupted her. "From you, though, I might accept an alternate form of payment-"

Oh. He kissed her. Her first thought was that his lips were soft, and maybe it was because they were protected by the mask, and the second thought was that wow, this was an upside-down kiss, the kind that only happened in sappy romantic movies. The third thought was _what. What. What what what what what okay he's not a bad kisser but nonetheless what-_

She had forgotten how to breathe, and sucked in sweet oxygen when they separated, face bright red. Through half-lidded eyes, he stared her down for a few still seconds.

"…I'm joking, of course." He stood up, holding a small black case. Upon closer inspection, it was her wallet. "If you call on me without proper payment next time, I'll help the monsters kill you." Then he was gone.

…

She let herself fall backwards on the grass, too drained to support herself.

* * *

"Men are scum," the Summoner moaned, burying her face in her arms. "Except for you. You're alright, Eze. You won't do things like sexually assault me or mug me, right?"

Obviously not? "…No," he said, reeling at her story.

Kuda. Eze was familiar with the name. He was the assassin tasked with defeating Atro during the war. For some reason, he had failed the task despite boasting a flawless mission record. Afterwards, there was speculation that the mercenary had been playing double agent for the humans, but stories were inconsistent. However, amongst all the noise and hearsay, Eze had never read a single account of Kuda being a lecher.

"…I've heard of Kuda before. He has a reputation," he said.

The Summoner looked up. "As being the worst person to ever walk the earth?"

"As a master assassin," he corrected, ignoring her mutter of _yeah, he did mention that, _"and someone who was extremely temperamental. How much do you know about the legend of the Six Heroes?"

He already knew that she had zero knowledge on the topic, but he thought that telling her his backstory would make her feel better.

"Nothing," she replied.

"You know about that the Gods decided to destroy humanity. In an effort to fight back, six people rose up to defend their homes. Vargas, the Holy Flame. Lance, the Holy Earth. Selena, the Holy Ice. Atro, the Holy Light. Magress, the Unholy. And myself, the Holy Thunder.

"We had different backgrounds, but through battle and blood, we all became friends. Over time, we trained and became so powerful that even the Gods feared us. As a result, the gods trained officers to fight us. Kuda was assigned to kill Atro.

"So he was a human on the side that aimed to destroy humans?" she remarked dryly.

"Kuda was famous for his greed. He would do anything, regardless of morals or difficulty, as long as his employer could pay the price." She nodded, expression contemplative.

"More importantly. You're a _legendary hero_?" she gushed, eyes admiring. "Holy Thunder? That sounds incredible…"

Compliments were rare. Most of the people he interacted with were on his level in strength, and had bad attitudes to boot. That princess Emilia, for one… if there hadn't been a bloody war going on, he would have liked to clash swords with her at least once.

"Thanks!" he said, scratching his cheek. "I'm not currently at my highest power level, though. You summoned me in a pretty basic form."

Her face dropped, and she curled up in the fetal position, air gloomy around her. It was impressive how quickly she could switch moods. "Sorry," she muttered, rocking back and forth. "I'm kind of worthless as a summoner, aren't I? I might as well go scrub windows or something…" She trailed off, muttering something about something called "fast food" and kings.

He frowned. "You're very harsh on yourself. It's only been a few hours. Naturally, I expect myself to become stronger than ever with your power. But expecting so much from a newcomer is unreasonable. A weak fool takes on more than they are capable of." He learned as much back when he worked in the Atharvan Mines. He remembered almost dying as a child, when he insisted that he could carry more carts of ore than anyone, causing a collapse in a rubble pile. The miner who had saved him had shattered his foot for his troubles, and was unable to work for the rest of his life.

After that, Eze vowed to temper his training and not let his ego endanger anyone, be it himself or the people around him. And he wouldn't let this little girl ruin herself because of the expectations Lucius and his disciple placed on her. His friends had become great through their desire to help the weak, not because some higher power commanded them to. He probably would have beaten the crap out of anyone who told him what to do, back then.

The Summoner gave a little laugh. "You're harsh, Eze, wow. But super on point. You're like Dumbledore, except badass, and not evil."

He didn't know who Dumbledore was, but at least her mood had improved. And now he didn't know what to say. How awkward.

Luckily, the Summoner broke the silence by jumping to her feet. "Okay! I'll take over the world slowly and in moderation! I'll beat Maxwell to it!" She then laughed loudly and obnoxiously. "Thanks, man. Being too negative doesn't help anyone. I guess I forgot, since you know, new world and all."

She hugged him again. He hoped that this wouldn't be a permanent thing.

* * *

"Hi, Tilith!" She made sure to greet the goddess with a smile as she exited the outer lip of the cave, rather than with the bland and distant personality that Tilith probably assumed she had. It was a warm day, but the sun felt _cool _on her face compared to how the volcanic cavern had been.

"Good job on making it through the cave! Up next is the Egor Snowfield," Tilith replied, breeze making her clothes sway.

"Alright," the Summoner said, determined look flashing across her face. "I'm sorry for being such a downer, by the way. I'll try to be better, even though I'm such a noob. Also, you're really really cute and have great hair," she finished lamely.

Tilith looked surprised, and a pink blush spread across her cheeks, probably at the compliment. "Hehe, of course! I _am _a goddess, after all! You better work hard to be worthy of me."

"A-anyways, the monsters will be getting tougher now, so you ought to be more mindful of the Units you use," she said, leading the Summoner to the gate that led out of the area. "You have to think about type advantages. Most of the monsters coming up are water type, so pop quiz~" she said, voice chipper. "Which type is strong against water?"

_Pokemon_ rules dictated leaf or lightning. The more obvious answer was lightning, since the whole conductivity thing. Public school education, hooray!

"Correct!" Tilith beamed when she answered.

The Summoner grinned. Tilith was so cute.

* * *

Heavens, it was cold. A frigid blast of air hit her face and her thinly-clothed body, snow falling in languid flakes.

"_It's freezing!" _Tilith wailed, hugging her arms to her body. "And to think, we still have the marsh, and the ruins and the abandoned manor to reach the Tower of Mistral…"

She patted Tilith on the back, ignoring the jolt of pain that shot up her arm as it made contact with the frozen air. There, there.

"I can't take it anymore!" she groaned. "I'm gonna go home… there's a knight at the end of the field who's been summoned by Maxwell. Apparently, he's quite strong, so watch out… _achoo!" _She made a miserable noise. "Good luck," she mumbled, disappearing in a flash of light.

Then the Summoner was alone in a field. She considered Eze's condition – she noticed that a Unit's wounds regenerated quickly outside of battle, but she wondered if he was too tired to go on. He'd probably refuse to admit it if he was, either way. She also considered her ragged hoodie, and her numb face, and decided to take a break.

* * *

She walked back to Elgaia, relieved to be out of the cold. Hopefully, she could find some lunch and maybe do some reading on the lore of this universe. Did the Village of the Venturer have a library? Maybe she could bully Karl into lending her some books…

Oh wait, he was dispatched into the battlefield. Sad face.

"Oh, miss!" a voice called for her. At least, she hoped it was for her. It was always awkward when you think someone is speaking to you and it turns out they were speaking to the person next to you.

It was the kind elderly lady from before, who was kind enough to offer her food before. She had a basket of herbs balanced on her hip, reaching into her skirts for something. "Before Karl left, he asked me to give you this." She pulled a silver key out of her pocket. "It's a key to his house. He said that if you didn't have a place to stay, you were welcome to stay in his house."

Oh, Karl. Was Karl even real? He was the fairy godmother she had always dreamed of – she was Cinderella, lacking in knowledge and house, and he appeared and solved all her problems with a wave of his lance.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed brightly, taking the key in her hands like it was something precious.

"Karl is such a nice young man. I'm happy to see that he's found someone who he can share his life with," the lady said fondly.

Well. Did she think…?

"We're not like that. We're just," don't say just friends, don't say just friends, don't say just friends, "buddies."

Oh, good job. The elderly woman gave her a knowing look, at which she smiled nervously at and avoided eye contact. She gave some excuse about having to leave, and bid the kind lady farewell.

Whatever. She probably thought that the Summoner was going to go bone Karl or something, ugh. He was away defending his country, for Pete's sake!

…Now that she thought about it, she had no clue which house was Karl's. But she would rather wither on the street than ask for directions and have to deal with some middle aged person giggling about how "cute" the youth were.

Eventually, she settled at a small restaurant and ordered a sandwich and soup, deciding to continue her aimless wandering after food. Then, she could look for an information source, and… then what? She wanted to clear the Snowfield sometime today, but she also wanted to give herself and Eze (and the slimes too) some time to recuperate after their harrowing journey through the Cave of Flames.

It really would have been easier if Kuda (she winced at the thought of him) wasn't so… _Kuda, _and if she didn't feel so uneasy in his presence. Based on what Eze told her about him, he was quite powerful, and would have been very helpful in their battles. Then, maybe Eze wouldn't have gotten so hurt.

At the same time, she wondered _why _a human would have fought on the side of the Gods in the Gods vs. Humans showmatch of the century. It seemed ridiculously counterintuitive.

Maybe she'd be better off with another try at the rare-summons gate, unless power was inversely related to insanity and she was doomed. Eze had been really nice to her when he didn't have to be, though, so she would try for his sake. In her time exploring the Adventurer's Prairie and the Cave of Flames, she gathered another five stones. Karl must have been unlucky or something, because they certainly were not rare. She had found one in an apple she had bitten into, even.

She took the final bite of her ham sandwich, wiping the crumbs from the corner of her mouth with a white linen napkin. The prices here were ridiculous, by the way, and not in the way she had expected. Her lunch cost 70 zel. To compare, she had gathered about 10,000 zel in her few hours of adventuring. It didn't make any sense.

But that was for another time. For now, she had a date with a certain summoning apparatus.

* * *

**_Zephyr _is one of the 12 Guardians of the Gods, the second-in-command after Sodis. He is level-headed, logical, and intelligent, almost caustically so.**

**_Kuda_ is a famous assassin who boasted a perfect success record. He served the Gods during the war, but it was speculated that he served as a double agent for the human side. A free spirit.**

* * *

**Oops, I love anachronism. If it was confusing, this chapter started out with her summoning Zephyr, who was her third summon from the rare gate, flashed back to her first summon, Kuda, and ended with her about to go for her second summon. Who do you think it will be?**

**Today, I finally ranked up in BF to where I could have another 6* unit on my team, and I evolved Kuda. Honestly, the lines that he says when you evolve/level him are so suggestive that it's hard _not_ characterizing him as a massive pervert.**

**Anyways, aside from the shameless fanservice, I've tried incorporating a few things about the universe, namely the summoner/unit dynamic and the lore of some characters.**

**Another question: do you like reading the perspective of other characters? Would you prefer it be limited to the Summoner? **

**Thanks for reading. If you have questions, please leave a signed review or a PM and I'll get back to you asap.**

**-eris**


	3. Chapter 3

"Holy crap!" Flashbacks from the Cave of Flame resurfaced as some huge, scary-looking thing that was _on fire_ hurtled towards her at extreme velocity. She threw herself to the ground to avoid a massive, sweeping blade cleaving the air where her neck had been a second ago.

The giant axe's wielder, a petite girl with thick blonde hair pulled back into ringlets scowled at her, eyes as red as the fire that permeated the sharp edge of her weapon.

"That was pathetic!" the girl sneered, grinding the heel of her foot into the Summoner's spine after the Summoner had not bothered to get up after her life-saving dodge.

Ow ow ow ow. The little demon's boots were plated with steel and dug through her thin hoodie. It felt like a knife was being driven into her back. All she could do was yelp and flail about in agony like a tortured fish, unable to escape the monster's grasp.

"You're the weakling who summoned me? I'd rather die than be commanded by someone like you!" she tsked, sheathing her axes behind her back. "I don't even need a weapon to handle you."

"H-hey, I'm not pathetic," the Summoner countered, shaking under the Unit's weight, "I've got _heart_, and stuff."

…okay, she _was_ pretty pathetic.

The girl scoffed. "Lucky for you, I'm pretty generous." She removed her weight off the Summoner's back, and hauled her to her feet with a force that rattled the non-crazy girl's bones. "I'll give you one chance. If you screw up, I'm gone!"

Her eyes were red and narrowed in irritation and _terrifying. _The Summoner nodded.

"Yes, ma'am."

The girl disappeared, leaving behind the smell of smoke, a new mental bond in the Summoner's mind, and some painful bruises on her back.

…What was her name, even?

* * *

_I figured that you wouldn't have a place to stay, being from a different world and all. Feel free to use anything you like while I'm not there. I trust that you'll treat my belongings with respect. You can use my bed too, if you want to. _–_Karl_

And yet again, let Karl be praised, give thanks to Karl, for he is good. She eventually found his house because of a letter, her name boldly printed on the envelope in narrow, slanted handwriting and clearly visible as it hung from the door. So obvious that even someone as thick as her couldn't miss it.

The house was small, but suited for one person. The front door opened into a sitting area that merged into the kitchenette, which had doors leading to a bedroom, the bathroom, and the backyard. Everything, from the wooden furniture to the knives sitting on a block on the counter, gave an impression of being used and old, but very well-cared for.

The Summoner peered into his bedroom, a feeling of guilt rising up in her. There was a shelf crammed with books, a single window above a desk, a closet, and a bed neatly made with deep emerald blankets. Strewn across the room was a multitude of potted plants and what she assumed were weapon parts.

The bookshelf was an item of interest, definitely. She had played plenty of video games before – knowing universe lore and rules would come in pretty damn handy. It wouldn't do to accidentally offend a princess and end up thrown in a dungeon.

If this world even had monarchies. Heck, she didn't even know if the acceleration of gravity was the same as Earth's.

Another glance at the bed, and the guilt intensified. She decided _not _to use Karl's bed for the night, because that felt oddly like tarnishing a pure maiden's virtue. Or something. Even though it looked soft and lovely and probably smelled nice-

See, that's why she didn't deserve to use the bed. She walked over to the shelf, examining the titles. They were sorted by subject, the top row pertaining to combat strategies and weapon maintenance, the second row to horticulture, and the third to reference materials and atlases and the like.

Bingo.

She pulled out _A Geographic Guide to the Realms, The Akras Summoners' Hall Unit Compendium, _and _A History of the War With Gods. _

The _Geographic Guide _was a series of maps of Elgaia and Grand Gaia, with descriptions of climate conditions and photographs. She couldn't find much of it interesting or relevant to her, since she wasn't well-acquainted with the names of other countries.

What she did notice, however, was how small Mistral was in comparison to the rest of Grand Gaia. She could fit her thumb over the region.

_Mistral is an island split into three subregions: Mistral, Morgan, and St. Lamia. It was the first island indexed by the Akras Summoner's Hall after re-entry into Grand Gaia. The climate is largely mild outside of the Egor Snowfield in Mistral and the volcanic areas (see Figure 2.4). _

The rest of the chapter went into more depth about each of the three regions, as well as brief histories ("_The Breeze Beach has been proposed as a possible tourist location, but the spread of monsters has prevented further development of the area."_). She laid it aside, and picked up the _Unit Compendium. _It weighed about a billion pages, the spine extra-thick and sturdy to accommodate the volume's massive weight. On the first page, in bright red ink, was printed:

_The following is property of the Akras Summoner's Hall. Unauthorized distribution of the information inside will be penalized harshly, and may result in imprisonment._

Well, that was pretty ominous. Perhaps this foray into the realm of forbidden knowledge would be the first step off the edge of a slippery slope, and she would become Voldemort, or something. Or maybe following unenforceable rules was for nerds.

She cracked the book open.

Units were sorted by name. Each profile had a sketch of said unit, and a ridiculously comprehensive analysis of the units' qualities. This was pretty unhelpful to her, because she had no idea what a 900 Attack or 600 Recovery stat was in reference to.

She still had a huge amount to learn, huh. She probably had less knowledge than a kindergartener raised in this world. At least she was grateful that this world used English speaking and writing systems. Having to overcome a language barrier would have been a true nightmare. It probably would have been hilarious, though.

She flipped through the book, settling on Eze and Kuda's chapters.

_A warrior from the ruined Atharva Republic, he later became one of the Six Heroes. Raised in an old mine, he worked from the time he was a child. At one point he grew tired and left to become a demon bounty hunter. His swordsmanship was tempered through his mine work, and he could obliterate a normal demon in one blow. He spoke rough, but was polite to women._

…Huh. Her friend also seemed to have some kind of historic vague relationship with a Princess Emilia. A kind of crass guy with a stern princess made for a good romance story, she thought. She tucked the name Emilia away in her head for further research, and just so she could tease the guy later.

With trepidation, she flipped over to Kuda's chapter.

The sketch of him was not as detailed as Eze's had been, but the artist's rendition of him was accurate. The serpentine, deceptively relaxed posture and fierce gaze was pretty spot-on. The writing about him was also rather sparse, and was a summary of what Eze had told her.

_An assassin rumored to take on any job as long as the reward was worth it. Though he demanded exorbitant amounts of money for his services, he was known to carry out his missions without fail, and was thus considered a very valuable asset. No one could match Kuda's assassin skills, which came to life through his whip-like sword. Kuda's name and prowess were so renowned that describing him as a mere "assassin" would not do them justice. However, since no one who saw his face ever survived to tell the tale, this information is all mere speculation._

Exorbitant amounts of money. Services…ugh. Remembering their first and only meeting made her want to roll up into a ball.

But honestly, if he was as good as his reputation proclaimed, he'd make her quest a lot easier. Logic stated that since he seemed content on his own, she would have to be the one to extend the olive branch. Even if the thought of interacting with him made her insides crawl…

Self-respect, or survival?

…She knew the answer to that.

* * *

"It hasn't even been a day yet. Are you that eager for more?" Kuda asked, surveying the room he had been summoned into as he leaned against his doorframe. It couldn't have belonged to her. The scent on the bed didn't match with hers, nor did the size of the clothing he could see hanging through the gap of the partially-closed closet. A male, in his late teens or early twenties. Independent and responsible. Good cook.

He was rarely summoned outside of combat situations, no less by someone whom he had scared. He was already intrigued.

"If by more, you mean more unwarranted physical contact, the answer is a," she gulped, and he watched her slim throat flex with the action, "definite no. If by more, you mean more professional diplomacy, of which there was none before, that'd be pretty cool."

Kuda unfolded his arms and stood straight, about to reply. Her hands immediately flew to her mouth, eyes screwed shut. A single eye cautiously opened.

"Sorry," she said, flushing as she removed her hands from her mouth. "That was rude, but not really, given your track record."

Heh. She was like a paranoid rabbit. How cute.

"You're sending rather mixed messages," he said. He'd mess with her for a bit. "Summoning me in a room with a bed," he gestured to the bed, ignoring her hiss that sounded like _that is a holy place how dare you_, "in a way that blocks the only viable exit." He gave the doorframe an audible tap.

Her eyes widened as she assessed her situation, and her poor decision. It was so very civilian of her.

"The window," she protested.

"Is too narrow for your shoulders to fit through," he rebutted. She slumped in defeat.

"Well-played," she said, voice simmering with resentment. "But really, please! Can we have a conversation, just one, where I don't have to be afraid of being assaulted or killed?"

Kuda was not one for handouts or mercy. The strong didn't become strong by giving away what they had, after all. This situation was no different. On the other hand, he did realize that turning down her request would stop progression, and she would likely refuse to summon him again.

And she was quite fun, compared to the stuffy summoners who tried to order him around like he _wasn't _the most famed assassin in all of history.

Kuda was not against compromise. He had his fun, and she could have her talk. So he sat down across from her on the floor, legs crossed.

"Alright," he said.

* * *

Okay, she had _not _expected him to agree so easily.

It was surreal. Kuda was still tall as sin, even when he folded up his stupid-long stilt legs and sat down facing her. She still had to look up to make eye contact. How irritating.

Admittedly, now that she had his attention, she had no idea what to say. This was bad.

Kuda's eyes looked back at hers, nonchalant and expectant. Then, they flicked towards her lap.

Towards the compendium, open to his entry. Before she could react, the volume was in his grasp, easily balanced in a single hand.

Seriously, that thing had the weight of a small child. It was impressive.

"'Loyal Assassin'?" he snorted. "What garbage."

There was always something embarrassing about someone finding out that you were researching them. Not that she knew from prior experience, or anything. "Uh..."

"The artist is pretty talented, though," he said. Then, with two fingers, he ripped his entry out of the book.

Wha…

"H-hey!" she shouted, grabbing the book back from him, stumbling under its weight. "What was that for?"

He folded the pages and stored them in his cloak, nonplussed. "I don't like that those summoners have data on me, much less such a poorly-written one."

"What kind of logic is that? These things are mass produced, probably. And it's not mine, either…" she groaned, slumping sideways. "I'm so sorry, Karl…" After he trusted her, too. She was truly the worst of the worst. She couldn't even get a replacement copy, since she wasn't a part of the Akras Summoner's Army.

Kuda's face was apathetic, and she hated him for it. "Your boyfriend?"

"My girlfriend." He quirked an eyebrow. "No, he's a friend. And you've wrecked his book. Why do you care?"

"Curiosity does not equate to caring," he said, leaning backwards on his hands. She wondered how many people those hands had killed.

"Look," she said, "you can't just do that. I get that you're this _almighty powerful _assassin, but if you do stuff like this, I just can't look at you as an equal."

Wow, those were some strong-sounding words. Stronger than she actually was.

Kuda's eyes narrowed. "You're saying boring things. Do you have a point?" She took a breath, trying to temper her anger. It wouldn't do to alienate him before negotiations even started.

"Yeah, I do. Like I said, you're really powerful, and I have a quest. You could help me, but I don't have anything that you would want. I don't even know why some Units help summoners without any incentive-"

"There isn't any."

His expression was inscrutable.

"Most of us aren't given the choice. The power Lucius gave you… he didn't ask any one of _us _if we wanted to be summoned before blessing humanity with the ability," he said, voice sardonic.

Oh. That was kind of… horrifying and dystopian.

"It'd be child's play for you to force me to do your bidding." It was a reluctant admission. His posture was relaxed, but his left hand toyed with the edge of a knife (which she hadn't spotted before?!).

Kuda seemed like a cat. Temperamental and violent. Maybe he enjoyed occasional tenderness, but never liked being called out on it.

Hated being chained down, more than anything.

"Well, that doesn't sound like a professional agreement at all," she said, willing her stupid mouth and brain not to say anything stupid or awkward. She had this horrible habit of making bad puns and inappropriate quips at bad times, and she knew this was the worst time. "That sounds an awful lot like slavery."

He made a sound that was vaguely agreeing and deceptively nonchalant. She knew better.

Ugh, this was getting unexpectedly complicated. She hadn't signed up for Real Talk when she had agreed to Lucius's proposition! The fact that it was with Kuda made it a thousand times worst. She thought she'd have a silly, wacky adventure with magic and then get transported back home. It'd be like one of those cheesy movies where she'd think it was all a dream until she found a symbolic object that suggested otherwise.

But it was to be expected that an actual _war_ would give rise to lots of screwed up stuff that would affect society in subtle ways. Pink was associated with femininity because of Hitler, and all that.

She wanted to handle this maturely and properly. Kuda was the type who _detested _pity or dishonesty, so she had to be honest and cool.

"I don't want to force you, or anyone to 'do my bidding,'" she said, hesitant. "I want to _ask _you for help, because it'd be nice to have. I'm not looking for brownie points or anything because I'm _asking _you instead of _telling _you, but because that seems like the right, not-scumbag thing to do. Friendship and stuff sounds pretty cheesy, but I _do _think a positive relationship when you're supposed to be watching each others' backs is pretty-" Lucius save them all, she was babbling now.

"You can stop talking now," Kuda sighed, running a hand through his hair. The serious atmosphere left as suddenly as it came, and she nodded, closing her mouth.

"So how much do you charge for your services? Aside from surprise kisses." No, she was never going to let that go.

"Depends on the target, really. And how much I like the client." Wow, he was pretty forthcoming. Did that mean that she passed his test? Was this the start of a beautiful friendship? Or was this a reverse play where he would kill her with kindness? Like how some female insects killed their mates after intercourse! Kuda, you monster.

Brain, stop thinking. Okay, good. Now come up with a reply, brain.

"Since you like me a lot, it won't be that bad, right?" she asked hopefully.

He quirked an eyebrow and tilted his head, smirking. She groaned.

* * *

He hadn't meant to reveal that much to her. It irritated him, that he could still slip up despite his expertise.

She was simply such an aberration, an outlier from the norm. Her manner of speaking, as well as her appearance and the way any emotion that flowed through her displayed transparently on her face marked her as a _foreigner. _Unbiased and unmarred by his corrupted world. As a result, she was very easy to talk to. Unintentionally, he had loaded some of his resentment onto her.

The girl's reaction was acceptable, and he had already decided to allow her use of him in combat.

"Money doesn't mean much to me anymore," Kuda said. "I prefer valuable items. Though, there is something that only you could offer me that I'd like a lot." The phrasing was provocative and deliberate, and he was pleased to see her splutter and flail her arms around foolishly.

"…You're a jerk," she said, pouting.

"I didn't intend it that way, but the fact that you interpreted it like that means something about _you, _doesn't it?" She made this too easy. "Unfortunately, I don't offer _that_ kind of service."

Her face was bright red now. Her grief calmed his soul.

"Back to business. As a summoner, you have the ability to power up units." She nodded, showing that she had some familiarity with the topic. "I want you to strengthen me to new heights. In return, I'll fight for you."

After all, while knowledge was power, _power _was power, too.

* * *

"And as a result, we're friends now," she said to Eze, who eyed Kuda with caution.

After their wonderful new relationship was established, the Summoner headed back through the gate to Mistral, motivated by her personal victory to go kick some ass.

She had kind of forgotten that Eze had fought in a war on the opposite side of Kuda. Amongst all the erratic mood shifts and tension, she had forgotten to review _History of the War With Gods, _and her rookie mistake could lead to a disagreement. Hopefully, there wouldn't be conflict. But…

"If you don't want to battle alongside him, we can work something out," she said, Kuda's previous words about coercion ringing in her ears. She was sure that many summoners were cooperative with their Units (it seemed like many were revered through history), but it only took a few rotten experiences to spoil someone's impression of humanity.

Moreover, what if certain individuals were literally insane? The logical answer would be not to use them in battle, but if a summoner didn't want to be killed, they would have to shackle the Unit down. The admission left a bad taste in her mouth, but she couldn't deny it.

She would try compromise whenever she could.

"…It's fine," Eze said. "As long as he didn't force you into anything."

She grinned. "Nah, it was a mutual agreement between comrades!" She did a goofy thumbs-up for emphasis.

Kuda stalked forward, probably jealous of her incredible camaraderie with Eze. "You didn't ask _me_ if I was okay with working with the legendary idiot of the Six Heroes," he said as he folded his hands behind his head.

Eze bristled. "What did you say?" He demanded, unsheathing his sword.

"Now the deaf idiot of the Six Heroes, apparently," Kuda said.

A shout of rage, and the sound of metal clashing on metal.

"Guys! We're supposed to be fighting the enemies, not each other!"

* * *

"Holy shit," she squealed. Eze cringed at the two-octave jump her voice took, and Kuda shot her an annoyed glance. Haters. "They are _the cutest things ever._"

She ran towards the King Squirties, bloated with water, their eyes a dull black. _Come to me, lovelies. _

"Hey, those monsters are hostile! Get back-" Eze's warning fell on deaf ears as a King Squirty blasted the Summoner with water, torrential jet powerful enough to send her flying through the air.

It was cold, and painful. She couldn't breathe, and she was lifted from the ground.

Kuda gripped onto her hood as she went sailing by, and hauled her over her shoulder.

"Are you a moron or a child?" he asked, voice scathing. She was soaked to the bone, her hair slick against her neck. The freezing winds that blew through the field were no help, a particularly brutal one causing shivers to course through her body.

Gosh, Kuda was being mean to a girl who was just rejected by her loved one(s).

She sneezed. "Can I have your cloak?"

"I _will _drop you."

* * *

Despite Kuda's acidic nature and his constant fights with Eze (who was pretty cute when flustered, she had to admit), he was powerful. His Black Mist attack _melted _enemies and did a great job cleaning up whatever Eze and the Slime Squad couldn't take out in a single hit.

He may have been a dispassionate jerk who refused to loan a shivering girl his cloak, but it was okay because after a few minutes, Eze untied his top and handed it to her.

Off topic, but his abs were pretty sweet, too. And while his shirt was thin, it was much better than wearing a waterlogged hoodie.

She was going to give Eze _two _cakes. Kuda would get none.

"By the way, I summoned another powerful Unit," she said, summoning a Burny and holding it tight to her chest. She sighed in contentment and ignored its squirms in protest.

"Oh?" Kuda said, giving her a sidelong glance at her unconventional Burny usage.

She nodded. "A girl. She tried to kill me, too-" Aah, remember when Kuda tried to slit her throat? Fun times. "-but she didn't seem _that _averse to being summoned. She said, 'I'll give you one chance. If you screw up, I'm gone!'" the Summoner mimicked the girl's high pitched, angry voice. "I didn't get her name, though."

"Blonde hair? Axes?" Eze asked.

"Yeah, that sounds right. Her hair was tied up in these really high, curly ringlet-ponytails," the Summoner said, recalling her outlandish hairstyle.

"That's Michele, for sure," Eze said, whacking a Merman who got too close. "I think someone wrote this religious text about her after her death. I saw it on shelves but never read it." _Because it had nothing to do with fighting _was the unsaid reason.

"An aristocrat of the La Veda Republic," Kuda added. "I've done a few jobs relating to her family."

Did that mean he worked for her family, or someone in her family was one of his targets? Nonetheless, she had a name now, a name that the Summoner could use to stalk/research her.

She had been distracted by the quasi-drama with Kuda, but Michele was terrifying in her own right.

* * *

The Snowfield was easy to traverse especially with the extra manpower. Soon enough, they were standing before a silhouette. The knight Tilith had mentioned, most likely.

He was slim and androgynous, deep voice revealing his sex.

As her team prepared for a tough battle, she wondered about the battles she had fought. Well, it was more like she watched and tossed potions more than actually fighting.

…Was she even necessary? She could easily be replaced with a camera and a vending machine.

Kuda slashed at the boy's armor, searching for gaps that could be sliced through. The sound of his whip-sword clashing with the metal plates, stiffened by the cold, was grating and set her hairs on end.

Maxwell had the ability to summon as well, right? It was the exact same power that she and the other people of Elgaia used.

Maxwell could force any Unit to fight, even against their will. It was… wicked, without a shred of doubt. But according to Kuda, people who were supposed to be the "good guys" did it, too.

She frowned.

That knight looked young. What was he thinking, when his will had been cut and marionette strings were attached to his limbs, when he lost all autonomy? Could he even think, or did some kind of freaky brainwashing happen?

The Summoner was so lost in her thoughts that Kuda's warning came as a surprise, and she was surprised to see the Knight charging at _her_. She threw herself to the right, but his spear gouged a deep red gash in her side.

And it hurt like crazy. The wound immediately started gushing blood, pulsing hot red in comparison to the rest of her cold body.

"…Thunder Expulsion," Eze gritted out, appearing behind the knight and slashing him. With a crackle of lightning, the boy was decapitated and his head rolled to the ground before his entire body dissipated in a burst of light.

"I hate to agree with _him," _Eze said, jerking his head towards Kuda, who was picking Zel off the ground, "But you're definitely a moron."

He pressed a potion to her lips. She reluctantly gulped down the bitter-tasting liquid, feeling some of her pain alleviated.

"I agree too," she moaned, taking another potion. Her jaw was sore from all the chattering in the cold. "I am the worst."

And with that, Egor Snowfield had been conquered with the power of friendship. Kuda looked disgusted (which delighted her) at her proclamation, dismissing his summons and disappearing. She gave Eze a grin and a promise to return his shirt clean (she _had _bled all over it) before desummoning him.

She could talk to Tilith tomorrow. During the trek, the sun had set, causing the temperature to drop even further.

* * *

The Summoner went back to Elgaia, and kept tripping over her tired, disobedient legs. Her stomach ached with hunger, and she just felt _disgusting, _especially after getting soaked and then injured. She ought to buy a backpack or something and bring snacks for their adventures. And start lifting, because her endurance was a joke.

Because she was a responsible adult, she had completely forgotten to buy groceries. On the other hand, Karl probably had stuff in the refrigerator, or she could take some vegetables from his backyard.

Karl's backyard was immense, probably larger than his house. Half of it was a patch of tilled land hosting a variety of herbs and crops, and the other half was for training.

Yes, Karl grew his own food. It probably tasted better than store-bought stuff, because he was literally perfect like that.

She opened the fridge for a quick survey. Mostly fruits and vegetables, a shelf of bottled water, and condiments. No meat or fish. Was he a vegetarian?

Well, she wasn't. She hoped he wouldn't be upset if she cooked meat with his tools. Did that sully them, in a vegetarian's eyes?

She shook her head, choosing to deal with it later. She desperately needed a shower. The bathroom called to her, and it sounded like an angelic choir.

As she rinsed shampoo out of her hair, she realized that she had no towel or spare clothes.

Fuck.

* * *

**_Michele _is a noble from La Veda who is focused on becoming stronger. Aggressive and violent, but loyal and protective of her loved ones.**

* * *

**There is also a bit where the Summoner stands naked in front of Karl's wardrobe, feeling immensely guilty as she puts on his clothes, but the shower felt like a fun place to end.**

**And that is the first day of the Summoner's ~crazy adventure~! It only took 14k words. What is pacing**

**I showed my friend parts of this chapter, and he commented "Wow eris, you're really good at writing sexual tension." Then, immediately: "I know you wrote porn of this, so show it to me already."**

**Honestly, sometimes I think about certain team compositions, and I wonder HOW WOULD THAT WORK? Like, any team with Melchio and Michele/Duel-GX/the others. "Hey, Michele, buff the dude who literally killed you!" As a result, I've chosen to go with a kind of dark interpretation of summoning. I forget that some of these character storylines are pretty dark, because the quest dialogue is so goofy.**

**Oh, and I'm probably going to have the Summoner start training because she's a ridiculous liability at this point. What do you think her weapon should be? That'll likely affect who her teacher will be. Karl and Grah use lances, and Seria, Lugina, and Paris use swords. Decisions, decisions.**

**I'm very grateful for all your faves, follows, and your wonderful reviews. They are very motivating, even though that isn't obvious by how long this chapter took to come out… hangs head u_u**

**As always, thanks for reading.**

**-eris**


	4. Chapter 4

The Summoner woke up with a sore back in some place she didn't recognize. Pale yellow light gleamed through rounded windows, illuminating the dew dripping from the leaves of several green plants sitting on the sill. She could hear birds chirping. It was like some nonsense out of a fairytale.

Oh. She was in Karl's house, she realized as she glimpsed at the letter he had written for her yesterday, now laid out on the table.

Oh. She was now in a completely different world, on some ambitious quest assigned to her by the god of the Gates (who she thought was kind of a tool, to be perfectly honest).

Well, at least she hadn't gotten knock-out drunk and done something she regretted.

Shrugging the blanket off of her body, she swung her bare feet onto the ground and began stretching, cringing at the _crack _and _pop _sounds her tired joints made. The most exercise she got as a normal civilian on Earthwas maybe a few laps around the track in high school, and the Egor Snowfield had easily been at least ten miles long. Not to mention, she had to dodge the aggressive tackles from slimes and mermen, and she had gotten _stabbed in the side. _

The aftermath of that was pretty incredible, too. Back home, with that injury, she could have died or been disabled for life. But here, a tiny green bottle was all that was needed for her flesh to repair itself like clockwork. She poked her side. The skin felt smooth and unscarred. It was a pity that she couldn't say the same for her hoodie and shirt, which now sported an attractive tear on the side.

Maybe she could sneak a few of the things in her pocket and win a Nobel Prize for the crazy medical breakthrough. That is, if she didn't die a painful death at the hands of the Four Fallen.

Considering that all of the humanoid Units she had encountered were fairly young, and the incredible healing technology that was so common, what kind of horrible wounds would they had to have sustained in order to actually die?

Ugh, thinking about such dark topics first thing in the morning would give her stomach ulcers. She shook her head, and made a mental to-do list for the day:

_-Buy paper and pen in order to make physical list_

_-Buy backpack, fill with food_

_-Buy clothes (underwear was mentally underlined multiple times)_

_-Look Michele up in Unit Compendium_

_-Explore Forest and maybe Wetlands_

Her stomach rumbled.

_Find food._

She felt too lazy to bother with cooking, and the cleanup would have required even more effort. And she had no clue what some of the plants in Karl's fridge were for.

* * *

The Summoner thought about the places she had seen during her confused trek through town the previous day, and where she could obtain the items she needed. She stopped at the door of a nearby restaurant, so absorbed in finding the most efficient route that she didn't notice the door swinging open-

-and a person walking right into her.

They fell to the ground with a simultaneous _oof, _the sheaf of papers in his arms scattering all over the ground.

The first thing she noticed about him was the blue hair. If the trend was to be followed, it was safe to assume that this guy would have some significant role to play in her life, she noted with humor.

Oh wait, she had to be a polite human being.

"Sorry about that. I was busy thinking," she said, bending down and picking up some of his documents.

"Don't touch those! They're classified information," he snapped. "And who just _stands _in front of a business's door?"

Then, she noticed that he was much younger and shorter than her. Why were young teenagers so rude? At least _that _stayed the same between worlds. On the other hand, she had been standing in front of a heavy-traffic door, with the reactiveness of a potato, so it was partially her fault.

"Sorry," she said lamely. For someone who was half her height, he had all the cold scorn and authority of a surly schoolteacher, and made her feel like a grade schooler who had scribbled crayon over the walls.

Moreover, why did such a young boy have "classified information"?

He gathered his papers, and picked up-

"Oh, that's mine," she said, reaching for the cluster of pages. At one point yesterday, Kuda had let her steal the pages about him back, and she had stuffed it in her pocket. She was pretty sure that he loved her with the entirety of the lump of coal he called his heart.

Miraculously, even though she was thoroughly waterlogged and miserable at the end of the day, the pages remained pristine. That was Akras Summoners' Hall quality, huh.

The boy narrowed his eyes at the section of the text that faced outwards. Them, he drew his hand back.

"Usually, when a person drops something of theirs, you're supposed to return it," she pointed out.

"This is data that belongs to the Akras Summoner's Hall. You shouldn't have this," he said. "You're not a Summoner. I've memorized the names and faces of every person enlisted in the Army, and you're not one of them."

Did this kid… have no friends, or something? Her eyebrows furrowed, and she looked at him with pity.

"Come with me," he commanded.

Now, she knew that she was pathetically weak and had the constitution of a butterfly made out of tissue paper, but she was _pretty sure _that she could take this guy. He was two heads shorter than her, and his skinny legs looked like white toothpicks protruding out of his dark brown shorts.

Which were really, really short. But she wasn't going to comment on that. The boy was _underage. _And moreover, she didn't like assaulting children. It seemed like such a villainous thing to do.

So she followed the boy with the white coat and horrible personality out of the food district to… well, she had no clue. If the location turned out to be suspicious she could get him in the eye with Karl's key, put up a decent fight at least.

Enjoy a lack of depth perception, bastard. But yeah, she could summon Eze to go all "liquefy the enemy's insides" on them, so she wasn't particularly wary.

Unbeknownst to her, he would subject her to horrors that she had never faced before in her life, and change it forever.

* * *

He had ushered her into a laboratory of sorts, filled with loads of complicated-looking machinery and mysterious liquids suspended in large tubes. He at a desk, lounging in a chair like it was a throne. She sat across from him, in a chair that was literally stone. There was no cushion or anything, and no matter how much she shifted, she couldn't find a comfortable position.

"So, you're from another world." He said this in a flat tone of voice, stirring a cup of coffee in one hand and writing something with the other. When she tried to take a peek, he swatted at her nose.

"Yeah. I know it sounds far-fetched, but that's why-"

"It's not 'far-fetched' at all," he interrupted, using sassy finger quotes to mock her. "Throughout history, many individuals have appeared, claiming to come from different worlds. The power of the Gate is to travel to between worlds. Don't be so arrogant as to think yourself exceptional."

He was kind of a dick.

"The thing that is exceptional," he said, "is that you can _summon_, even though you are not from Elgaia. You see, all humans have the innate ability to summon, but without proper training, it is impossible. The only group of people with enough resources to unlock a potential summoner's ability is the Akras Summoners' Hall." Somewhere during his spiel, he had stopped talking _to _her and started talking _at _her, spitting out ideas and facts and conjecture.

"Well, I did have a deep bonding experience with Lucius before arriving here. Maybe his involvement is related to my abilities," she quipped. "We braided each others' hair and talked about our feelings."

The kid ignored her hilarious joke and stared at his paper with enough intensity to set it ablaze.

He stood up, and then he was all up in her face. Was personal space not a thingin this world?

"Summon something," he ordered, hands on either side of her, grasping the cold stone armrests. His eyelashes were really long.

She sighed. "You know, you're rude. You've taken me to this weird facility, insulted me, and ordered me around like a lackey."

The air seemed to condense for a second, and then a Sparky appeared in her arms. She willed the Sparky to shock the hell out of the guy as she smushed it into his face.

Nothing nerve-damaging or burn-inducing, naturally. Something very painful would do.

"You haven't even told me your name," she said. The Sparky did exactly what she wanted, judging by the kid's startled yelp. He fell backwards, rubbing his cheeks vigorously.

His hair was standing up, haha. With a loving pat on the yellow mochi's head, she dismissed the summon. At her smirk, the boy scowled, and reached over and touched the exposed skin of her neck.

"Ow!" residual shock was a bitch. So was karma.

"For the record," he said after a moment, "I have no obligation to share my name with a possible criminal." _One who has shown violent tendencies at that, _she thought he muttered. "But my name is Noel. I'm head of the Akras Summoners' Hall's Research Lab."

"Wait, go back to the 'possible criminal' part, please," she said. She'd cover the 'prepubescent research head' topic later.

"Well, unauthorized possession of information, for one." Noel said, sticking up a single finger to emphasize his point. He lifted a second finger. "Destruction of Hall property. That's not explicitly stated, but ripping out pages from our Compendium leads to implicature that doesn't look very favorable on you. Who were you trying to give that information to?"

Welp. She was going to Summoner jail, or worse. Hopefully she wouldn't be executed in the public square and made an example of.

"And the third," a third finger came up, "unauthorized summoning ability. This has only happened once before, and the person was outside the purview of the Akras Summoners' Hall, so you're the first scenario that's relevant to us. How we handle your case will set a precedent for all other cases in the future." With his point made, he smoothed out his teal hair, walked back to his desk, and began writing so furiously that she could hear the scratch of the pen from where she was sitting.

What he was saying, then, was that she ran the risk of screwing over kids years from now. She sighed.

"Does it help if I say that I wasn't planning on doing anything nefarious with those pages?"

"Not really," Noel said, tearing down her hopes and dreams without blinking an eye. "Why did you have them, anyway?"

"Well, the Unit in question tore the pages out of the book, and I yelled at him for a little, but then we made nice, and he let me steal the pages back. I forgot I had them when I bumped into you."

The look he gave her was _withering. _She shrugged.

"I'm not lying. He took them because he _didn't want information about him circulated _but that didn't make sense, because these books are mass produced, so I think he just wanted the pictures of himself. He's kinda vain and these drawings are pretty cool."

The sound of writing stopped. In her explanation, she had let her eyes wander the gargantuan machinery of the lab, the wires and glass apparatuses of undiscernible nature, but at the silence, she turned to face her captor.

He looked up from his notes, eyes wide. "Could you repeat that again? Please," he added as an afterthought.

"Um, the illustrations in the Unit Compendium were really well-done, so Kuda wanted to steal his own." Probably. Kuda was hard to understand most of the time. All of the time, to be perfectly honest. Moreover, what was with this sudden change in atmosphere?

Noel looked back at his notes, manner sedate. "I see."

Then, silence. But this time, it was way less tense than before. Sure, Noel still looked like an angry little boy as he flipped through pages on his notepad and added to the cramped writing, but there was an extra overtone of _contentment_.

She felt like she was missing out on something.

"Your ability is quite high," Noel noted, "If you were able to control a Unit as high-ranked as Kuda."

Well, haha. Define _control. _Could anyone really control Kuda? She smiled sheepishly. "Well, the gems are the ones that do all the hard work, right?"

"That's a possibility," he agreed, "but you were also able to convey your will through the Sparky using only a mental connection. That type of synchronization only happens between an experienced Summoner and a Unit they have a particularly strong bond with. Most commands are given orally. While a Sparky is hardly a high-level Unit, your feat is impressive."

"Um, then how can summoners control Units that don't obey them? Isn't that kind of a mental connection?" Kuda had said as much during their Real Talk yesterday.

"It is usually done by using spoken word as a focusing point, too," Noel said. "It also takes vigorous training. First, the trainee learns to suppress any violent or disobedient traits in the Unit's personality, which leads to fewer accidents. It isn't foolproof by any means, however. This is why trainees study some form of weapon training, to protect themselves from monsters and their own Units equally. Summoners are assigned to squads, so they always have some form of backup. And even so, many Summoner squads have been wiped out by a single wayward Unit."

…Yup, those "dystopian horror" alarms were ringing pretty loudly now. The Units were pretty much turned into zombies, mutable to the Summoner's will, and in the worst-case scenario, some idiot children were slaughtered for their silly mistakes, and who knows what happened to the Unit.

"…so as a result, there is a rating system based on rank that dissuades rookie summoners from trying to control individuals who would kill them with little hesitation." Noel sighed. "Despite that, Elza _still _remains a desirable summon. It's baffling."

"I see. Thanks for the information," she said. "You're awfully forthcoming with it."

"Of course. I've no qualms with giving away sensitive information to a girl who will be executed in a few hours."

What? Her heart leapt to her throat, and she felt the urge to spring out of her chair and start running, no matter how stupid of an idea that sounded. She looked at Noel again, and…

"I didn't realize you were one to make jokes with a 'possible criminal,' she said, scowling and curling in on her chair. Noel's smile was brilliant and maybe it could have been cute, if Noel was not the devil incarnate.

"Well, now that I've gotten to speak with you, it seems implausible that you'd have the stones to defy the law," he said. That was an insult. Or was it a compliment? It was probably both.

She threw her shoe at him. With a slight tilt of his hips, he dodged with ease.

"So, judging by that pitiful attempt, you've not had any combat training." He tapped his chin. "That's worrisome, considering that your mysterious abilities have the capacity to place you in real peril."

"I've been okay so far," she protested. "Kuda tried to cut my throat when I first summoned him, but our relationship has progressed in spades since then. Look," and here, she gestured to her unblemished neck; the potion yesterday had healed every wound on her body, but Noel didn't need to know that, "throat in one piece."

"One day, you'll inadvertently call over some Unit with less self-control and less sanity than Kuda, and then we'll have to waste resources in cleaning your innards off the Rare Summon Gate, and assemble a team to wrangle your wayward Unit." Noel sighed, and gave her a look like she was a huge nuisance. "I've got to fix this. Be quiet for a few minutes, will you?"

* * *

When Noel had told her to "be quiet for a few minutes," he was _lying _like the filthy liar he was. He gave her an annoyed look and a flick to the forehead whenever she tried to engage/pester him, and refused to answer any of her questions.

She was pretty sure that Hell was sitting in a room, hungry, bored, and miserable while a boy barely five feet tall sat a few feet away, apathetic towards her withering.

So she started poking around the machines and supply closets. She didn't _touch _anything; this was scary science stuff. She liked having arms, thank you very much. The closets were neatly stocked with office supplies and were _boring. _

Maybe… she could summon someone to talk to? But then again, she felt guilty bothering Eze, and while she didn't feel any guilt over bothering Kuda, he could tolerate her for only about five minutes at a time.

Huh. Now that she thought about it, what exactly did Units do when they weren't being summoned by someone? Furthermore, could two of the same Unit be summoned at the same time? What stopped someone from summoning, like, a thousand of a single Unit and smothering the enemy?

Now, if only there was someone who was knowledgeable who could provide her with answers.

"Hey, Noel-"

"I need more data," he interrupted.

"Pardon?" He crumpled up the piece of paper he had been writing on, crumpled it up, and tossed it into the wastebasket across the room. It landed perfectly, like it was thrown by someone who had done it a thousand times before.

"I'd like to see you in combat," Noel said. "You can battle one of my experiments." He stood up, and with a billow of his coat, stalked to some machinery. With a dexterous strum of his fingers, the console came to life.

A single white door to his right slid open with a _whoosh. _

"Before we start, you should-" She stopped listening to him, because through the door, she saw someone she did _not _expect to see in Noel's laboratory, where he probably tortured small animals in for sport. She ran through the door.

* * *

The floor was cold concrete. She felt it through her sock. Bright light cast sharp shadows across the circular room, leaving nothing hidden. There was another door opposite the one she entered through, but that was sealed. She paid that no mind, though, her attention focused on the figure standing in the room's center.

Karl blinked. "Hello."

What.

"You're supposed to be on a mission," she said slowly, walking up to him. Upon closer scrutiny, it really _was _him. Not like she spent that much time staring at Karl's face or anything, but the gentle eyes and the soft cut of his features felt pretty accurate.

"Ah," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'm not the real Karl. Rather, I'm a mock-Unit created by Noel. I'm sorry to confuse you." He smiled, and _yup_, that smile was absolutely Karl.

On the other hand, this was really creepy. In hindsight, most of the disturbing yet passable observations she had made about Noel before seemed much more sinister if she considered the possibility that he was insane and had a fixation on Karl to the point where he built a clone of him.

As a friend, she had the obligation to let him know about his creepy stalker. But if Noel had resources to this extent, and such a twisted mind, he could probably do horrible things to her. She shuddered.

"Oh, are you cold?" Not-Karl asked. He closed the distance between them, and wrapped his arms around her.

It wasn't that helpful – his skin was cool to touch, but physical contact calmed her down. Even when Karl's raw data was placed in Noel's probably-insane hands, the kindness stayed, huh?

An object flew from across the room and hit her in the back of the head.

"Your thoughts are projected perfectly on your face," Noel remarked, irritation perfectly projected on his face. He folded his arms and leaned on the doorframe. "You should have listened to my explanation before walking in here without guidance, and before drawing ridiculous conclusions about my interests."

"…What did you do to my shoe?" she demanded, distraught. Half of her favorite pair of Converse, that she spent an hour drawing patterns on in marker when she first bought, was mutilated. It couldn't be called a shoe in this state.

"Well, upon picking it up, I noticed that some of the material of your footwear was unlike anything indexed by the Summoners' Hall before, so I sequestered it. Consider it payment for the annoyance tax in this lab."

He didn't even wait for her to ask before delivering his punch line:

"The annoyance tax is something placed on excessively annoying people, but I'm sure you've surmised that already."

Not-Karl tightened his grip on her, which was good, because she was about to jump across the room and rip Noel's face off.

"It wouldn't do to injure the head of the Research Department," he said pleasantly. "You'd set back technological development in Elgaia for years."

"That's right," Noel said in a smug tone, hands in his pockets like the tiny, prepubescent tool that he was. He shifted his gaze to not-Karl. "You can let her go now. I'd like to proceed with Trial 001."

"Trial?" Noel gave her a dry look.

"If you'd taken the time to listen to me, we wouldn't be having this conversation." She was released from her blue prison, and Noel tossed her a pair of brown leather boots.

Rest in peace, Converse. She slipped them on, and was surprised at how comfortable they were.

"My most significant project involves the synthesis and testing of powerful Mock Units," Noel said, puffing up in pride like a bird. "Due to the instabilities and possible liabilities of using souls and relying on the gods, I've decided to put our precious soldiers' lives in the hands of technology, which is much easier to control." His face hardened. "That way, I can help protect the people who protect the citizens. Humanity in the hand of humans."

Hmm. Maybe Noel wasn't so bad, now that she learned about his motivation. His personality could almost be tolerated. Heck, by the end of the day, she might even _like _him.

"We've taken data from some of the strongest summoners in the Hall and replicated them into mock Units," he explained, nodding his head at not-Karl. "I wasn't aware that you knew him personally, though. But now that I take a look at you, you're wearing his old training clothes, correct?"

Since her hoodie was in pieces, she took some of the smallest clothes she could find in Karl's wardrobe. Hopefully it was something he hadn't worn in a while, so as to avoid cause him any inconvenience.

Noel squinted his eyes at her, as if concentrating. He smirked.

"Heh, I didn't think that guy was capable of being devious. So those pages were from his copy of the Compendium?"

Karl, devious? That sounded as likely as Michele being a pacifist. She nodded and gave him a questioning look, but Noel moved on.

"Currently, you're not even close to being strong enough to be collected for mock-Unit data." Wow, those were some pretty hardcore shots he had just fired. And they hit their mark, right in her feelings. "But you can help my research by facing my mock-Units in battle. I want them to be as strong as possible, so the number of people who can test my Units decreases as they become stronger. And if you beat my Units, I'll give you a nice reward, and you can keep the Unit, too."

She tilted her head. "You'd just give away hours of work and probably loads of money, just like that?"

Noel crinkled his nose. "I don't have use for a project that can be defeated."

Ouch. Mock-Karl was standing _right there, _Noel.

"Anyways, it gives me the chance to observe Unit strengthening under a summoner, and outside of laboratory conditions, so it's mutually beneficial."

Hm. That all seemed acceptable, so she nodded. Noel gave the clipboard in his hands a look-over, his gaze all-business. "Okay, let's start testing."

He took a single step backwards, and the door slid shut, sealing her in with the mock-Unit.

* * *

She fell to the floor, soaked to the bone and shivering. The forms of Eze, Kuda, and Michele (who had been oddly cooperative when placed directly in a battle situation) disappeared with a burst of white light.

"I don't really know what I was expecting," Noel said as he stepped in.

Mock-Karl gave her a hand up. "I hope we can fight again, when you've improved." Gosh, even Karl thought that she was pathetically weak. It had been a warm day, and the air-conditioning in the laboratory made her feel like she was standing in a deep freezer.

"Oh, don't be like that, now. While you were defeated spectacularly, it's not the worse I've seen people do against him. You were even able to take a few hits."

"How do you do that, Noel? The reading my mind thing."

"You're very transparent, Miss…" He trailed off.

He absolutely didn't know her name, but was too prideful to admit it. That was adorable. Noel reminded her of a really mean, spoiled cat. She pinched his cheek, and he smacked her arm away.

"Cut that out. You're dripping all over the floor," he snapped, cheeks red from her assault. "There's shower stalls at the end of the hall over there." He grabbed her wrist and guided her to a door.

"Bye!" she shouted over her shoulder, following a miffed Noel as he dragged her away. Mock-Karl responded a genial wave before the door to the battle room slid shut.

Upon exiting the lab, she was stricken by how different the rest of the building was. The cold tile floors became green carpet, and the black matte walls shifted to a pleasant yellow.

"The shelves should be stocked to your needs. I'll send someone to bring you clothes," Noel said as he stopped in front of a door.

He turned back to his lab, leaving her to her own devices.

That seemed tactically unwise. Or maybe Noel had just completely dismissed her as a threat at this point. She turned and entered the restroom, which was dimly lit and decorated with warm-colored tiles. A vanilla-scented candle burnt on the black marble sinktop.

She stripped, happy to remove the heavy, cold clothing from her body. Grabbing some random products from a shelf, she hopped into the shower. The hot water felt heavenly on her body.

So, day two of adventures in Grand Gaia had been pretty wild, too. It wasn't "other universes exist"-wild, but learning about things like mock Units and stuff was mind-blowing.

It was insane – Karl's mock Unit felt so similar to the real thing. She didn't think that she could distinguish between the two if they were placed side-by-side. And the fact that this _living, breathing person _was created from… well, she wasn't sure what mock-Karl was made out of. Did he have a soul? Was it synthetic? How did Noel manage to create something like that?

She'd have to visit him sometime. Being exposed to Noel for so many hours in a day had to _suck. _Or, she could get good and win him.

But there were three things wrong with that:

The weirdness of owning a Unit who was the perfect likeness of a friend.

The weirdness of _owning _a Unit. The Units she had met so far were their own people. Mock-Karl kind of sounded like he was created only for his summoner to use him in battle.

The difficulty of the task. Mock-Karl had been ridiculously powerful.

She wondered how he compared to the strength of the Four Fallen Gods. Considering that Lucius went outside of Elgaia for assistance, it meant that they had to be way stronger. And that meant that she had a really long way to go.

Moreover, why did Lucius pick her when there were myriad summoners who were more experienced than her? When _Karl _existed? It didn't make any sense.

Ugh. All of a sudden, she didn't want to step out of the shower and face her responsibilities anymore. She rinsed the shampoo out of her hair and thought about how she would have to apologize to her Units for getting their asses kicked. Michele said that she'd give her a single chance, and she used it up on this.

To top it all off, she _still _hadn't had any breakfast yet.

She turned the shower off, and stepped barefoot onto the tile, idly hoping that there wasn't some kind of fungal disease on the tiles. Dripping all over the floor, she grabbed a towel from the rack and wrapped it around her.

Noel said that there would be someone to send her clothes, but nobody-

"Oh, you're out already!" a chipper voice called out. A girl, perhaps a few years older than her, walked into the bathroom. "Noel rushed to have these made for you. Sorry for the wait! My name's Lin, by the way."

"Uh, hi there, Lin," the Summoner said, giving the green-haired girl her own name. Lin nodded vigorously, the expensive-looking headset she was wearing bobbing up and down with the motion, and handed the Summoner an opaque plastic bag.

"Here's your clothes! It's some of his better work, I think! He definitely takes care of new recruits pretty well," she said, giggling. "Anyways, I have some assignments, so I'll probably see you later!" Lin left with the same suddenness of her arrival.

How much coffee did she have to drink to be that energetic? She had called the Summoner a "new recruit," too. What did that mean?

Shrugging the questions away, she opened the bag, taking a look at what Noel had selected for her.

* * *

"Noel," she cried as she barged into the familiar laboratory/dungeon. "_I love you._"

"Stay at least five meters away from me," Noel warned, brandishing a menacingly sharp pen at her. Hah, as if a puny instrument of death could stop her from expressing her emotions. She launched herself at him, and she liked to think that it was because he loved her back that he didn't dodge.

"This is really cool! Thanks a lot!" she said, rubbing her cheek against his. Noel had set her up with some of the nicest clothes she had ever seen. A soft black turtleneck, a white vest, black shorts, and black high socks. Not to mention the awesome white armor-plated arm warmers and boots. And the _utility belt. _And the cape. Noel freaking gave her a cape.

She took back everything negative she said about him. A cape! She felt like an actual superhero when she wore it.

"Let go of me already-! You shouldn't wear that at your level anyway, you'll just trip over it-"

"Ahem." They turned to meet the steely-blue gaze of a small girl with neatly-trimmed black hair, holding a sheaf of papers in one hand arm. She looked vaguely amused at the scene. "I apologize for the wait. I'm ready to take the new recruit through orientation now."

Noel shoved her hard, and she landed on her butt with an _oof_.

"I regret even bringing you here in the first place," Noel muttered, face bright red.

"Wait, 'new recruit'? What does that mean?"

Noel ran a hand through his hair. "Well, your crime was the possession of information restricted to the Summoners' Hall. As a member of the army, I have no choice but to punish you for your crime. However, there's an easy way to nullify your infraction."

"…By recruiting me," she finished. Noel nodded.

"That way, the friend who lent you the book won't get in trouble, either. It's an ingenious solution."

Well, it sounded pretty faulty. She still committed the crime as a civilian, so she should be punished for the crime whether she was in the army or not. She chose not to point this out.

She also picked up on the fact that he was flagrantly blackmailing her by threatening to involve Karl.

"Of course, it'll help me keep records of you, too. Despite your insufferableness, you're still an anomaly," he said, "and anomalies must be investigated." He said this with an odd undertone to it, like he was holding a scalpel to one of her vital organs, and it made her hair stand on one end.

"Noel has explained your situation to us," the mysterious girl said, "and based on his evaluation, you've been accepted into the Akras Summoners' Hall. My name is Sera Starride of the Akras Administration Office, and you have my congratulations." She bowed.

The Summoner scratched her cheek. "Uh, thanks. I guess." What had Noel said about her that made the Hall accept her with such short notice?

"However, there are medical evaluations and forms that must be filled out," Sera said. "This is the first time where we've had an applicant with literally no pre-existing documents, so please forgive me if I make an error in the process. If you'll follow me, please."

And so, she was led through the winding halls of the Administration Building and subjected to one of the most painful, bloody tortures of her life:

Paperwork.

* * *

Remember when she said that Noel wasn't that bad and she retracted all the negative things she said about him?

Well, she retracted her retraction. This was completely his fault.

* * *

"You've finished. Thank you for being patient with me," Sera said, collecting the last bundle of papers and stuffing them into a black leather folder. The Summoner was slumped over a wooden desk, half-dead. She would say something sarcastic, but… she was way too tired. And Sera was so polite that she would feel bad being rude to the other girl.

"Ugh. What time is it now? Am I dead? Is time merely a construct of our own imaginations, meant to give our own futile existences meaning?"

Sera gave her a confused look. "Miss, it's currently seventeen hundred hours." She gestured to an open window, where bright sunlight flowed through.

"Oh. Thanks," she replied. "Can I go now?"

Sera nodded. "Yes, you can. Here is the standard package given to our applicants. This is one copy of _The Akras Summoners' Hall Unit Compendium_, one standard communicator for use on missions, one arena pass, one adventurer's backpack, one mailbox key, one metal god, three gems, and one summon ticket." All of the items were neatly arranged in the backpack, which the Summoner accepted with grace.

"I would give you our standard armor, but it seems that Noel has gifted you a custom set."

Sera then went behind the ornate white counter where she sat at, rummaged for something, and returned holding a silver key.

"This is a metal key, which I am responsible for distributing. We restrict passage into certain areas of the Vortex Gate to avoid overhunting of the energy-rich Units that live there, and this key will allow you access to the areas for an hour. You are entitled to one key a day, so please come by daily to pick them up." She bowed again.

The Summoner nodded in agreement, not really listening to Sera's words.

"This summon ticket is a coveted item that is rarely distributed by the Summoners' Hall. There are several machines standing by the Rare Summon gate, and when this ticket is fed to one of them, five gems will be dispensed to you, and you can summon a Unit at the expense of the Hall," Sera explained, handing the golden piece of paper to the Summoner.

"Thanks. I'll come back to you if I have any questions." It was an answer that she usually gave to teachers when she wanted them to leave her alone, and it worked well on Sera. The bespectacled girl nodded, and wished her a good day.

The Summoner left the building with the weariness of a war veteran. Stumbling like a zombie, she desperately searched for the one item that would save her from certain death.

_Caffeine..._

Maybe she had screeched like a banshee when she approached a café, and maybe that wasn't the proudest moment of her life. But she was caffeinated now, and color returned to her vision again. After a quick fifteen minute nap in the park, she was revitalized and ready to go. Thanks, lifehacks subreddit.

So, thanks to her hijinks, she had a backpack and proper clothes. She also had food _now. _All that left was a bit more shopping and research. She decided to cancel the adventuring plans for the day, considering how severely her squad had been beaten down by Mock-Karl. Hopefully, Tilith wouldn't be too mad at her, or accuse her of slacking off.

She would cook them a "sorry for losing we don't suck that horribly" dinner. And maybe grovel at Michele for a few minutes and beg for her mercy.

After wandering aimlessly for an hour, she finally found buildings that looked familiar. Holding bags full of crockery (Karl didn't have many plates in his house) and food ingredients (especially meat, and something that resembled a potato but was blue?) she had purchased at ridiculously low prices (around two thousand zel), she opened the door to Karl's house. Placing the bags on the floor, she figuratively rolled up her sleeves and began working.

* * *

"…What is this?" Kuda asked, staring down at his plate.

"It's poached octopus with pomegranate," she replied. Well, it was a tentacle creature strongly resembling an octopus, and a fruit that she was pretty sure was a pomegranate. The taste turned out to be sufficient. The slimes under the table seemed to enjoy the makeshift blue potato salad she made, anyway.

All the produce and ingredients here were slightly _off_. She hadn't made a major faux pas yet, but one day she would put a pink carrot in a soup and end up killing her whole squad, or something.

Eze shoveled his entire portion down his throat, and asked/demanded for a second portion. She obliged.

Kuda gave the swordsman a sidelong glance, condescending sneer apparent. Luckily, Eze was so engrossed in eating that he didn't notice. Which was good.

Fights at the dinner table would _not _be tolerated.

"If you want something less weird, I can prepare you another dish." She had friends who had quailed from her signature poached octopus during their first encounter, but they had all been converted to the dark side over time. "Like gruel."

She turned to Michele, who had been picking at her food. "I can make something for you too, Michele, and not gruel. Anything you want," the Summoner said, voice rising in nervousness.

The blonde looked startled that the Summoner had initiated conversation. "…It's fine," she said, averting her gaze.

Okay, that was horrifyingly out-of-character for her. Did Michele catch a cold from their battle, or something? Fire-types were weak to water-types, right?

Kuda raised an eyebrow. "This isn't a problem," he said.

He picked up a fork and reached for his food. She watched with trepidation. How did Kuda eat? Would he Kakashi Hatake his meal? Put on _another _mask, maybe?

He raised a hand-

-and pulled down his mask, and started eating.

Oh.

"This isn't bad," he commented, chewing on the octopus. "I didn't expect someone like you to be a decent cook." After a beat: "…Why are you giving me that look?"

"It's nothing," she said, surprised that he ate in such pedestrian ways. Fiction had made her think that all mask-wearers were sociopathically averse to showing their faces.

"Heh, are you stunned by my face? Most people who see it don't live to tell the tale." He winked.

Eze snorted. "More like she was stunned by your hideousness."

"I'm surprised that you know a word with that many syllables, moron."

"_What did you-"_

The Summoner sighed, rubbing her temples. This was only the appetizer; how was she going to get through her other courses?

Of course, there was the oddly sullen Michele that she had to worry about, too.

* * *

"-And then noodles went flying everywhere and Eze knocked over a row of Karl's potted plants, so I got mad at him and left the house. I guess he felt bad, cleaned up, and dismissed himself?" She wondered if Kuda had helped. Probably not. "So when I left, I decided to use that Summon Ticket that Sera gave me. And now I have you."

"I see," Zephyr replied. He hadn't expected such a lengthy, profanity-riddled reply, but it had been both informative and interesting, so he couldn't complain.

She nodded. "I guess I have to do something to show Eze that I'm not really angry with him. Tomorrow," she said, tilting her head. "Anyways, would you like some food? Sorry that they're leftovers."

It was interesting. By all accounts, the Units used in summoning did not require any sustenance aside from the summoners' power. This was a widely-known fact, except by the girl who was bouncing around the small house like a child, apparently.

He wondered why the Units she had offered food hadn't told her. At that level, dining was only a symbolic act, one of communion-

-ah. He understood now.

"I'd like that," he said. The Summoner beamed and unstrapped the pot from her stomach, placing it in the pantry.

"Alright, then! I think Kuda ate all the octopus, but there's still noodles and I'll heat them up-"

An opening of a door stopped her sentence. Zephyr's hand flew to his waist. He hadn't anticipated a third element in the house.

"M-Michele?" the Summoner said, incredulous. "Have you been here this entire time?"

The aristocrat ignored the other girl's query. Her sharp candy-apple gaze swept over him momentarily, eyes glimmering with recognition. Then they turned to the Summoner.

"I need to speak with you," Michele said to her, voice terse.

* * *

**_Noel_ is the head of R&amp;D for the Akras Summoners' Hall. A genius, and knows it. Values his research above all else.**

**_Lin_ is an upbeat worker from the Survey Office. Her job is to communicate with summoners in the field, manage explorations into unknown territories, and manage the various seasons of Frontier Hunter.**

**_Sera_ is a guide from the Administration Office. She is responsible for maintaining information on all Summoners and distributing Metal and Jewel Keys. Serious and strait-laced.**

* * *

**And now the anachronism is over, and we are back in regular time.**

**Here's a longer chapter for taking forever, again. I'm kind of brain-dead right now, so I'll send my (severely overdue) responses to messages in the morning. I think I write _more _when school is in session, oddly enough.**

**Apologies if this chapter was dry to read – I've got to do that world-building thing! I honestly have no idea currently how to explain duplicate Units and bringing a friend's Unit into a dungeon. I might throw in an OC or two to make the process less painful, so sorry in advance if you have a horrible aversion to OCs.**

**I love writing rude, snippy, smartass characters, which is why Kuda's always a joy to write, and I had a blast with Noel. It's hard to imagine being that caliber of prodigy in the military and _not _being an arrogant tool. I have a secret theory that he is a huge geek who's made a mock-Unit of himself, and the Unit is ridiculously OP.**

**I know that each trial is 50 stamina and the Summoner wouldn't be able to even attempt it at her level, but I've got to mix it up somehow. Linearly progressing through each quest region would kill me. _Groans _I can't believe we're still only at the Forest of Beasts  
**

**…Imagine facing Karl with only a 2* Eze, 4*Kuda, and 4*Michele, though. Scary.**

**In other news, I've posted a variety of story ideas on my profile page, and I'd be happy if you'd check them out and vote for what you think is most interesting. Thanks for doing that, if you do.**

**And thanks for reading.**

**-eris**


	5. Chapter 5

Michele tossed a cursory look at Zephyr through the screen door. He looked back, eyes half-lidded as he chewed on a mouthful of noodles.

The Summoner observed this exchange, and slid the second door over, ending the staring match and leaving her alone with her moody blonde Unit.

It was humid and dark, the only source of visibility the ambient light from the house's windows.

"So, you wanted to talk about something?" the Summoner said, sitting down on the edge of the porch. Aah, Noel really screwed up her momentum by kidnapping her for all those hours. She hadn't been able to get anything done today, save for roping Zephyr into her twisted little family.

Michele hesitated, and it felt wrong to associate hesitation with Michele, before looking right into the Summoner's eyes, face contorted in frustration. Her posture shifted to something aggressive and much more _Michele. _

"Today," she said, hands on her hips, "in that odd chamber."

The Summoner winced. That was what she wanted to talk about? Well, it was only to be expected. "I know you told me that you wouldn't give me any second chances, and it's okay to do what you want since I broke that agreement, but I-"

"That's not what I meant!" Michele said. "I expected you to lose. You _are _pathetically weak, after all."

"Gee, thanks."

"It's just…" and there it was again, that look. The blonde's eyebrows furrowed, and she broke eye contact with the Summoner.

"You can say whatever you want," the Summoner said. For some reason, Michele's lack of confidence made her feel guilty. She wasn't sure why she felt responsibility towards someone who physically hurt her and was generally terrifying. "I'm a person who is as insignificant as an ant, so it's like you're speaking to yourself."

"I know that!" Michele replied, with some anger. Well, it was more frustration than anger. Then she was quiet for a moment, as if summoning her will. "During the trial today, why did you protect me?"

What?

The Summoner didn't recall such an event. She didn't remember much from the battle with Mock Karl at all, actually, save for a lot of water, pain, and coldness. The subsequent barrage of paperwork also made her block more of the afternoon out.

Though… now that she thought about it, there was a point where Karl had been about to shoot the human equivalent of a Hydro Pump at her squad, so she shoved them out of the way and taken the blow herself. Which was stupid in hindsight, given that she was untrained and incompetent, and her Units were seasoned fighters.

But Michele was clearly a fire type! She didn't need to sustain critical damage fighting for someone whose cause she didn't even believe in.

And now that she thought about it some more, that blast should have killed her. She faintly recalled the wet snap her neck made as the frigid stream of water threw her into a wall. Since she was here, dealing with the epitome of awkward social situations, instead of in a mortuary, the attack hadn't killed her_._ Why hadn't it?

"Huh, I shouldn't have survived that," she muttered.

"What other brilliant deductions would you like to make?" Michele snapped, stomping a foot in annoyance. "Did you think you were stronger than me, enough to take a blow in my place?"

The Summoner put up two hands, the classic "don't shoot" position. "I wasn't thinking, 'hey, I'd like to belittle Michele's skills right now!' when I did it!"

And boy, here came the cheese line.

"I didn't think about anything at all, at that moment. Protecting you guys felt like the natural thing, as simple as breathing or blinking. S-sorry if you got the wrong impression." Of course she was red like a tomato as she said it. Why couldn't she be smooth and cool like Sera? Or immune to embarrassment, like Karl? Heck, even Noel's soullessness would be preferable.

Michele's head was lowered, her bangs shadowing her face and making them even less visible in the dank night air.

"…You guys are my responsibility, after all. Even though I'm untrained, I still have standards," she finished weakly, lowering her hands and letting them rest on the warm wood of the porch.

Say something, Michele. The Summoner might die in this oppressive atmosphere. Neither said a word, the only sound the cacophonous chirping of cicadas in the bushes.

"So you're not arrogant then. You're arrogant _and _stupid!" Michele roared, charging at the Summoner, her axes glowing red.

"W-what are you doing, psycho?!" she shouted, rolling onto the ground. She really couldn't damage any more of Karl's things, and a singed ground was easier to conceal than a singed porch.

"You piss me off!" Michele responded. The Summoner jerked her neck left to avoid the downward sweep of a blade, which embedded itself into the spot her head had occupied moments ago. The hot metal hissed as it made impact with the ground, faint wisps of steam rising from the crack in the ground.

"You piss me off more!" the Summoner retorted. "Can't you just ever plainly say things without the violence? Speaking to you feels like I'm trying to defuse a bomb! I hate it!"

"Why'd you summon me, then?" Michele snarled.

"Didn't really have a choice the first time, _princess_! And for the second time, sorry for thinking you could be reasoned with! If you dislike it, tell me and I'll be sure never to summon you again."

She didn't know why, but Michele looked surprised her statements. The Summoner took advantage of her momentary weakness, and tackled the shorter girl. She didn't hope for much, but at least Michele let go of her axes. They flew a few feet away, melting away the grass they made contact with.

She was surprised that she could pull that off. At this rate, maybe she could even walk out of this situation alive.

"OW. HOLY FUCK. DID YOU JUST BREAK MY ARM?" the Summoner screamed, rolling over in agony, clutching the limp appendage.

Was this what death felt like? The cool grass tickled the skin of her inflamed arm, and sent shockwaves of pain roiling through her body.

Back home, she was a peace-loving civilian. She had visited the hospital _once _before_, _and it had been to visit her pregnant aunt. She'd never broken a bone in her life, much less hung around the sort who could break arms with a twitch of a hand.

The Summoner _really _couldn't comprehend Michele, or angry people in general. It seemed easier to live life with a cool, content head than try to fight every person who got in her way. The erratic jumps from tense conversation to all-out brawling made her uneasy.

"I… really hate it."

Michele's weight settled on top of her, legs straddling her body.

"I hate that someone as weak and stupid as you felt like you could _protect _me! Who do you even think you are? How dare you," and here, the girl's shoulders hitched, and locks of blonde hair tumbled over and tickled the Summoner's face. "How dare you make me feel powerless like that?"

The Summoner frowned at her. "How do you think _I _feel, surrounded by people who can _literally _break my arm if I make them mad? Full of power?"

Michele's eyes swam with red anger and frustration and something else that the Summoner couldn't quite describe. Maybe the Summoner was being unfair; she was someone who boasted about being calm and level-headed, but here she was, exploding on the second night of her arrival. Michele didn't deserve all the annoyance she was directing at her. Some of it was a result of the pent-up annoyance and helplessness at her situation.

On the other hand, Michele had broken her arm, a fact that the Summoner was constantly reminded of by the pulses of pain that shot up the limb.

"Look, I suck now, but I'm trying to get better. And if that's not good enough for you, then you can turn around, no obligations. If you want to stay, then let's talk about things, instead of being all… explodey," she gestured _explosions_ with her good arm. "Otherwise, I don't want you. I want my team to be comfortable with talking to me, and vice versa. Or else I can't call them my allies."

And that was it. She felt odd – this kind of aggressiveness wasn't normal for her. But then again, this situation wasn't normal for her, either. She rarely got injured, and she almost never got transported to fantasy worlds.

Hopefully this kind of rapid change wouldn't backfire at some point, in a "due a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a villain" kind of way.

"I'm mad. Sorry," the Summoner said. "I think we should take the night to cool off. Tell me what you think tomorrow. Or take as long as you want." When she gently pushed the other girl off, Michele offered little resistance.

She opened the heavy door and stepped back into the kitchen, leaving the scene behind.

* * *

Zephyr raised an eyebrow. "Your arm," he said.

There was no way that he didn't hear everything that transpired. The Summoner gave him a smile, half-hearted in her tiredness. "Yeah, it's super broken right now."

She sat down at the table, wincing as she slowly used her good arm to lift the broken one onto the stable surface. "This has got to be the worst possible first impression ever. Sorry. I kind of want to scream right now, but I'm too exhausted to even try. And it's late." Not that the lateness of the hour affected the screaming match she just had.

She didn't know the first thing about Zephyr. He seemed cautious and intellectual at first glance, but who knew what he thinking behind those impartial cobalt eyes?

Well, it wasn't fair to assume the worst of him. The point still stood, though; he could be a bloodthirsty psychopath, for all she knew.

"May I borrow your cutting board?" Zephyr asked, cutting through the awkward silence that had settled around them.

"Oh? Yeah, go ahead," she said. He stood up with a confident grace that she envied, and walked over to the cutting board, and removed a knife from the chopping block.

…Wait. Hadn't she just been wildly theorizing that he might be a bloodthirsty psychopath?

Zephyr ran a single gloved finger over the sharp edge of the knife, and seemingly satisfied by its quality, laid it down. He walked over to the fridge, and pulled out a bundle of colorful leaves and several bottles filled with bright liquid. He also pulled a few small glass jars out of his robes.

She couldn't see what exactly he was doing, but after a few minutes of quiet chopping, he walked over with a mug half-filled with a dark liquid and some paste in a bowl.

"Drink this," he ordered. She accepted the cup into her hand, and took a small sip.

Her retching almost made her spill the liquid out of the cup, but Zephyr caught her wrist with a firm grasp before she could drop it.

"That is _disgusting,_" she said, huffing. The drink was so horrible that she was _out of breath _from trying it.

"It doesn't make sense for medicine to be appetizing. Why associate positivity with something negative, like injury?" He took her broken arm and gently spread some paste onto her forearm, rubbing it with two deft fingers.

That made an impressive amount of sense. "A lot of Elgaian medicine is sweet, though."

"Elgaia doesn't know how to make medicine," Zephyr insisted. Wow. Noel would probably fight him for saying that. "The dosage required for Elgaian medicine increases exponentially as symptoms become more severe. A cure for most shallow cuts and stabs will suffice, but for more serious injuries, you'd have to drink two or three of them."

He was like… the human incarnation of Wikipedia, or something. Was he even human? "What's this, then?"

"Something that will help mend your bones. It will also give you a strong resistance to illness as long as it is present in your bloodstream, and fortify you against future injury. There's also some calcium in it, to combat that growing deficiency of yours."

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

He smiled. It was kind of cute, if the situation wasn't super weird. "Your nails," he said, brushing a finger over the chipped nail of her pointer finger.

"Wow, you're pretty impressive," she said. "Thanks. Two questions."

He released her arm, which was covered with the thin oily film of the paste, and set it down on the table again. It didn't hurt anymore. It didn't feel like anything, actually. The numbness was odd, like she didn't have an arm at all. "Yes?"

She sighed. She couldn't deny him when he made it for her, and it had such awesome effects. "Why isn't this more popular if it's more effective?"

"The recipe isn't very well-known. It's one of the first elixirs I ever synthesized." He muttered something about not having healers, but she didn't catch it. "Also, the sweetness of the common cure is much friendlier to the public than this."

She was going to shotgun this like espresso. She swirled the drink in the cup, giving it the evil eye. Ugh, why did her other arm have to be broken? She could have pinched her nose shut with it.

Holy shit, it was horrible. She somehow choked it down, resisting the urge to gag. It took her probably around twenty seconds to finish it off, but it felt like twenty minutes instead. Light-headed and dizzy, she opened her mouth to ask the second question.

Instead, her vision swam, and she blacked out.

* * *

She was woken by the obnoxious beeping coming from the table. Flipping up the glass screen of the communicator provided to her from the Summoners' Hall, she rubbed her eye with the other hand and was greeted by her favorite baby-faced incarnation of Satan.

A hologram of Noel scrutinized her messy hair and greasy face. "Are you serious?" he scoffed. "It's already ten. How can you even begin to be productive if you sleep half the day away?"

There was silence for a moment as she let his words sink in. "Haha. That is your mistake, buddy," she said, the effect of her comeback lessened by the clear grogginess of her voice. "You are assuming that I am a productive human, and not a leech on society's upstanding citizens."

He scoffed, and she grinned. It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship, she thought. The Summoner surveyed her surroundings. She was lying on Karl's bed, her coat draped over its headboard. Someone, probably Zephyr, had laid a blanket on top of her and taken off her boots, which sat at the room's entrance.

What a nice guy. Her arm felt good as new, too.

"Anyways, I doubt you're the type of person who calls for fun, or knows what fun is," she teased, "so what do you want from me?"

He rolled his eyes. "I called to remind you that while most of your correspondence with the Summoners' Hall will be electronically through this communicator, you also have a physical mailbox in the Administration office. If you let it get too clogged up, the cleaning staff will grow to hate you."

And rule number one of succeeding _anywhere_: do not piss off the service staff.

"Got it. Anything else?"

"I advise that you stay away from the Arena, in your current state. You'll be needlessly embarrassed-"

"Wow, _rude_-"

"-and considering that your admission into the Army was unorthodox, and you're an outsider, you might be bullied or something."

Well, that wasn't surprising news. She sighed. "Alright. Thanks for letting me know. See, you care after all."

"In your dreams," Noel retorted. "Since you have a 'mission' from Lucius himself, you won't be assigned to a squad. However, you _will _be responsible for submitting a report about your mission progress and personal progress every other week."

"Oh? What happens if I don't?"

"You'll answer to Sera, then."

"Ah."

Noel: 1, Summoner: 0.

* * *

"Hmm." The Summoner tapped a finger against her chin as she stared intently at the glass display case.

She knew… absolutely nothing about weaponry, she realized after walking into the store. The lady at the counter recognized the army's insignia on her outfit, and probably thought that the Summoner had at least a clue about fighting. Social anxiety, aaaaaah.

There was a large claymore-type sword on display in the center aisle. She walked up to it and admired the ornate hilt, which was studded with red and green jewels.

_That wouldn't suit you at all. It's ugly. And it screams "please steal from me!" to anyone who sees it. _

In surprise, she stumbled and fell over with a yelp. At least she hadn't knocked anything over.

"Are you okay, miss?" someone who was probably a worker asked.

She rubbed her head and smiled sheepishly and lifted herself off the ground. "Yeah, thanks. I recently healed from a serious leg injury, so I'm trying to get used to walking again."

The worker's eyes widened. "I see. Good luck, then." He returned to his task of unboxing goods.

Inside, she was punching herself. Why did she say all that? It was absolutely unnecessary. She didn't even know why she did it.

And there was the reason that she fell over in the first place.

…_Kuda?_

_Is there a reason why you're saying my name?_

Okay, what the actual fuck.

_What are you doing in my head?_

_ I just saw an empty room, and decided to sit down._

Hey. Rude. She was sure that her mind was full of excellent, entertaining things. Kuda was just the worst.

_This is really weird. _A pause. Then: _Wait a sec, you can see out of my eyes?_

Kuda made a humming noise that sounded like _yes. By the way, you've been mixing up the shampoo and body-wash since you arrived. Unless that was intentional?_

She must have looked like an insane person, tripping over nothing and then turning bright red.

_ Thanks for the advice? I think. But I'd prefer if you NEVER HAD THE MEANS TO FIND OUT THINGS LIKE THAT, EVER AGAIN. _

There was a smug silence, and she buried her face into the flat of her palms, the burning of her cheeks hot on the skin on her hands.

So that was a thing that was new. She felt a hard-to-describe synchronization with her Units when in combat, like she _was _them, performing each of their actions. It was even weirder when more than one of them was present.

It was like… each Unit was a string on a violin, humming at a unique frequency, and she felt every vibration at once. Eze was something high-pitched and energetic, while Kuda and Zephyr were lower, softer sounds. Michele was somewhere in the middle pitchwise, but very loud and confident.

Hey, she wasn't a writer, okay? In English class, she was happy with Bs.

_You have an interesting way of looking at things. The music analogy is fitting with the appearance of your mind. _That was Zephyr, by the way.

Oh? Kuda made it sound like her mind was a derelict, dusty cellar with moldy walls.

_It's a large, ornate auditorium. The seats are red plush, and there is a piano on the stage illuminated by a spotlight. …It is empty, save for Kuda and myself._

Well, that wasn't demoralizing or anything.

_I imagine that you can visit this place if you meditate before falling asleep. I'd take you now, but the shopkeep is looking at you suspiciously._

She looked towards the counter, and she was indeed being given the stink eye by the lady. In the cashier's defense, she had been standing there for several minutes, not blinking or doing anything.

Quick, buy something. Throwing money at problems inevitably solved them, so she grabbed some training blades from a bin, paid for them, and left the store.

* * *

Upon seeing Tilith's miffed expression when she walked through the gate, the Summoner threw herself onto the ground, head bowed low.

"Please forgive me, venerable Goddess Tilith," she said, planting herself at Tilith's feet. "I was held hostage by a gremlin and I wasn't able to do anything yesterday! Here is a loaf of walnut bread, to express my remorse and conviction that I will never show such sloth ever again."

She held the fresh loaf over her head.

"Uh," Tilith said, accepting the treat, "Thanks!"

Crisis averted. The Summoner secretly thanked the god of baked goods, who never led her astray.

"Anyways, this is the Forest of Beasts," Tilith said. She waved an arm at the trees, whose canopy extended so high that only faint rays of sun were able to seep through, casting a dim glow on the foliage. "It's full of monsters, but I think you can handle those easily!" She finished her statement with a smile.

The Summoner returned her smile. Gosh, cheerful Tilith was calming to the soul. "Thanks."

"Of course, the real danger is the suspicious individual hunting all the monsters." Say what, now? Tilith's smile twitched into a smirk for a second, before she opened her mouth again.

Wait, was Tilith actually a sass master? The Summoner was intrigued.

"Have you equipped spheres to your Units, by the way? They can turn the tide of a battle with their powers. Anyways, see you once you've cleared this area!" And the goddess was gone.

"…I haven't equipped spheres," the Summoner whispered sadly at empty air.

* * *

Okay, real talk: why couldn't Tilith just teleport her across the forest if the girl was capable of doing it to herself? Wouldn't that be more efficient? Heck, why didn't Tilith stay by her side and help fight, so that their quest could be completed faster?

"I suspect it's because she does not have the strength to teleport multiple people across regions. Remember, you're crossing a territory under the control of a Fallen God," Zephyr said as she summoned her squad. "Furthermore, she may have multiple tasks. She is a disciple of Lucius, after all, and the gods are…_capricious,_ to say the least." His voice turned rather sardonic at the end, and the Summoner wondered what the story behind that was.

"I'm grateful for the information, but is there a way to stop you guys from reading my mind? It's kind of invasive and uncomfortable," she said.

Zephyr cocked his head. "I won't do it anymore. My apologies. It's rather hard to ignore, though – your thoughts are like an open book."

Kuda interjected here: "It's more like a speaker playing obnoxious music. Impossible to ignore, even if I wanted to."

"Sorry about being so loud, I guess. I'll try to keep it down?"

A twig crunched behind her, and she turned to see a sullen Michele.

Welp.

She had said some things in the heat of the moment, and now she had to deal with the fallout. The Summoner _hated _confrontations…

Before she could say anything, Michele spoke.

"It annoys me when people try to be subtle, so I'll say it now. I'll fight alongside you. You should feel honored that I'd lower myself to that level. In return for my exceptional service, you'll obey my every order in training! And you'll _never _try to take a blow for me again," she said.

The Summoner took a moment to put that into a normal-person translator: I'm sorry for hurting you. I would love to stay on the squad, and am interested in overseeing your self-improvement. I also feel anxious when you are injured, so I would greatly prefer it if you allowed me to take the brunt of the damage in future battles.

She smiled, and raised her arms. "Okay. Let's hug."

Michele looked flabbergasted. "What are you-"

"Sssh. Accept it," the Summoner said, "and please don't break my arm again." She threw her arms around Michele, and laid her head on her shoulder. "I can't say anything about not taking hits for you in the future. Life's kind of crazy, and I don't like making promises that I can't keep."

Michele was tense. "…Fine," she admitted begrudgingly. "Can you let me go now? The others are staring." And they were: Eze looked half-confused and half-annoyed, Kuda bored, and Zephyr curious.

"They're just jealous of our intense Sapphic love," the Summoner said, releasing her.

There was a pause.

"Wow," Kuda said.

"What does 'Sapphic' mean?" Eze asked.

Michele's responding blush was _so cute_. The Summoner was lucky to have such adorable people in her life.

The way she was punched into a tree was less cute, but hey, baby steps.

* * *

"Don't worry, Eze, that's just how girls communicate love to each other," she said, stuffing another tissue up her nose. Michele had taken the lead in their trek through the forest, melting every Mandragora and Mossy she came across. This was way easier than the Snowfield.

At that moment, Michele delivered a fire-powered slap to a little hooded girl with cat ears, and sent her flying past the blonde warrior. The Summoner stepped over her prone body.

"Women are terrifying," he responded.

"Yeah, but we get stuff done."

"Don't teach him that kind of stuff," Kuda said scathingly. "He's so stupid that he'll actually believe you."

"HEY!" Zephyr looked intrigued by the brawl that broke out within seconds.

"W-wait…" the lump of girl said.

"Oh, you're still alive? Not bad," the Summoner said. "Does that mean the others get to fight now, too? I think Kuda's getting fat from all the food I've been making, and he hasn't had a chance to exercise." A tactful flick, and a familiar whip-sword grazed her cheek, some blood dripping from the shallow wound. "Love you!"

"N-no." The girl trembled. "I'd like to join you, if you don't mind."

"That's different, then." The Summoner helped the girl up with one hand, and picked up her wooden staff with the other. "Welcome aboard."

"Thank you." Her eyes were warm brown and seemed kind of wise, even though the Summoner was pretty sure that she was maybe twelve or thirteen years old. "My name is Claris." She held the staff, which looked oversized in her small delicate hands, and rung the bell attached to its tip once. It chimed a light, clear sound, and the wounds on her body disappeared.

"A healer, then?" Healers were badass.

She nodded, hood bobbing up and down. Now that the Summoner looked at her, Claris didn't have cat ears, but her hood was starched stiff and stood up at sharp corners. "I'm a geomancer."

"I don't know what that means, but we can talk about that later, yeah?" the Summoner said. "Michele's probably getting impatient."

"T-that scary beast?" Claris asked, pointing at the scary beast who was stomping towards them.

"She's pretty scary, but she's no beast," the Summoner said. "Michele's pretty awesome once you get to know her."

"_What _is taking so long-?!"

* * *

They moved through a small, innocuous clearing, the lack of trees providing slightly more visibility in the dark forest.

Kuda grabbed her by the hood of her cape and pulled back roughly. Her head jerked back, and an arrow shot through the space her head would have occupied if not for a certain assassin.

"Holy balls-"

"I'm just constantly in awe that you've managed to survive this far in your life. You're welcome, by the way."

"Your reflexes are _that _bad? I'll double your conditioning, then!"

"Do you have a scratch on your nose? Come here, I'll heal you right up-"

"Hey! Don't ignore me!" Her attacker shouted. While he might have looked cool, perched languidly in a tree with an arrow nocked into the fine curve of his bow, the tearful look on his face destroyed any effect he was going for.

"Che. This is our opponent? He doesn't look like much," Eze said, unsheathing his sword from his back.

"Like you should talk, elemental weakness. If it wasn't for Corkscrew over there," Kuda pointed at Michele, "Then you'd have a hell of a harder time in this forest."

"_Corkscrew_? What does that mean?" It was a wonder that Michele hadn't threatened to mutilate Kuda yet. Probably because she had the Summoner to get angry at, but now that they were (tentative) friends, Michele could focus down the true snide bastard of the group.

"Well, have you looked in a mirror lately?" Kuda replied. He twirled his finger in a circular motion. "Or are you blind as well as lacking in fashion sense?"

Michele roared and launched herself at him, and it was kind of like déjà vu.

"…You're ignoring me again…" the archer in the tree muttered. "Don't you have the sense not to turn your back on an enemy? " He leapt from the branch and aimed an arrow at Michele.

She batted it away without looking. "You're annoying," she said, looking at him out of the corner of her eye like he was a cockroach. With a swipe of her axes, everyone's weapons took on a reddish hue.

And the fight after that could only be described as a _curb-stomp._

* * *

"That felt like bullying," the Summoner said, as the slim archer fell to his knees and dissipated into a fine mist of energy. "We're bullies, aren't we?" In the background, Michele and Kuda were still decimating trees. Well, Kuda was pretty much condemning the trees to death by darting behind them to avoid Michele's attacks.

"Well, the elemental advantage that Michele provided us proved to be a great boon in this battle. You had more difficulty in the Snowfield, correct?"

For a second, she wondered how Zephyr knew all that, but it was probably because he read her easily-readable mind.

"Yeah. I guess Eze and Kuda have been getting stronger, too. I've been fattening them up with slimes, so that I can harvest their bodies for meat to sell on the black market."

Eze gave her an alarmed look.

"I was kidding, darling," she said, booping him on the nose. "Anyways, I have more than twice the amount of teammates with opposable thumbs, so I guess that counts for something. Remember when I had to use Sparkies as filler units? Man, those were the days. The day before yesterday, really."

Zephyr looked thoughtful. "Your development over three days, one of which was spent out of battle, is intriguing."

She smiled. "Yup, that's what I am. Intriguing. Anyways, do you want to tell me what the heck spheres are? Tilith kind of ran off before letting me know."

Then, the Summoner realized Tilith didn't _know _that that she was from another world, and was therefore a complete scrub at summoning. But should she tell her? After all, Tilith seemed to have these _expectations_ of her, and there was a kind of innocent confidence to the goddess that the Summoner didn't want to mess around with.

Guuh. It was like she was never allowed to have peace in her life.

* * *

"Spheres are meant to amplify the powers of Units," Zephyr lectured, performing his role of walking encyclopedia with practiced ease. "They have a variety of effects, from strengthening to defending, preventing illness, and more. They're more of a conduit for your own power – the materials focus your energy in a way that benefit the unit."

They were in the sphere house, a medium-sized facility with several stalls. In each stall, there was a complicated-looking mechanism of glass tubes, and a cauldron in the ground.

"Okay," she said. "But how do five of _these_-" She picked up five green fangs that Zephyr had asked her to lay out on the table, "turn into a 'sphere'? Or anything useful, for that matter?" Her hoarding urges had made her keep everything the enemies dropped, but she didn't expect them to be used.

"You melt them down and stir," he said, pointing to a cauldron. He was sitting down next to her on the small bench at the side of the stall. "Then you turn this switch on, and if you have enough Karma, then a sphere will form once the materials finish mixing."

"Karma? Like the Buddhism stuff?"

"I'm not familiar with that term," Zephyr replied. "Karma is accrued when you fight, and can be expended to produce items. I'd liken it to eggs in baking. Without some liquid base, your separate components will not mix. Karma allows incompatible elements to combine together and produce exceptional effects."

That was actually really easy to understand. It was pretty much like spiritual energy money. "I get it," she said. "You're really awesome, you know that?"

Zephyr quirked an eyebrow. "Thank you, I suppose. What is 'Buddhism'?"

"It's a system of belief in which people are reincarnated depending on their actions in their life. _Karma _is your actions, and determines how you will be reincarnated in the next life. The end goal is to reach nirvana, which is freedom from the cycle."

He took a moment to digest the words.

"It's a religion that doesn't depend on gods. Rather, the personal actions of the individual affect divinity. Fascinating."

"I think there's branches of Buddhism that worship the original Buddha dude? I'm not an expert," she replied, laughing nervously. Her encyclopedia skills were vastly inferior to Zephyr's.

The liquefied claws started climbing up the glass tube when she turned the switch on. By the time the liquid reached the top of the tube, it had turned a deep blue.

"Oh hey, that happened."

"…Do you know who I am?" Zephyr asked after a moment.

When had the mood shifted to something more serious?

"Uh. You're Zephyr," she said, uneasy.

"I was once one of the Twelve Guardians of the Gods," he said. "The second-in-command."

Ah.

"To hear about a belief system in which humans are completely independent from gods is fascinating. In my earlier days, everything I learned was for the sake of protecting the Gods and carrying out their will."

It was nice that he found her heresy interesting and not insulting, then.

"There's a lot of religions like that where I come from," she said, babbling a bit. "There's even one that believes that gods don't exist at all, and once you're buried in the ground, life is over." She probably agreed with those ideas before, but then her life got flip-turned upside down by the likes of Lucius, and she wasn't even sure which religion got it right at this point.

He looked flabbergasted at the idea of atheism. "I'd like to hear more about that, if you don't mind."

"Sure. You've been so helpful to me, so I'll tell you whatever you like."

* * *

"And you get a sphere, and you get a sphere, _everybody gets a sphere!_" So she was in a desolate, dark world where nobody else knew about the glory that was Oprah Winfrey other than her, but she'd make it work.

Eze looked particularly happy to receive his Famous Blade, and slotted it into the base of his sword. "Alright, I feel pumped already!"

"Wow, you look energetic," someone commented.

"Hey, Tilith! This place absolutely sucks, doesn't it?" The Summoner said, turning towards the source of the voice.

Tilith groaned. "Right? It's so humid and disgusting. There's mosquitoes everywhere. I _hate it."_

The two stood in quiet misery for a moment. Then:

"Congratulations on clearing the forest so quickly, though!" Tilith said. "I thought you were a sham when I first saw you, but you look pretty dignified and cool right now! You get along with your squad really well, too."

"Um, thanks?" Ouch, Tilith. The Summoner knew that their meeting wasn't one of her proudest moments, but that honesty hurt.

"I think Lord Lucius chose the right summoner," Tilith said, patting the Summoner on the back. "Anyways, it's gross here, so I'll wait for you at the Shrine! Good luck clearing the Wetlands!"

Then, she was gone in a flash of light.

The Summoner slumped onto the damp floor, blowing air up at her forehead in an attempt to lift the slick bangs plastered to her forehead.

"Unfair."

* * *

Michele rubbed at her temples. "If you're going to learn anything, learn how to fall properly first. You're going to injure yourself if you just drop like that, and we all know you can't afford that, since you're stupid and all."

For Michele it was oddly monotone. The Summoner lifted her head from the puddle she landed in after tripping over some random stupid floating plant's roots, and groaned.

"How do you fall, then?"

"Keep your arms and legs close to you. Convert your falling momentum into energy to get yourself back on your feet." Michele dropped to the ground, performing some kind of odd roll that let her stand up with ease.

"It doesn't really count if you're anticipating the impact," Kuda said, and shoved the petite girl.

Michele fell to the side, and threw an axe at Kuda, which he caught with one hand. She twisted to the side and recovered with ease, rising with a small splash of water.

She glared at the smug assassin, who tossed her blade back to her. "As much as I hate that guy, he has a point," Michele said. "As practice, I'll be pushing you when you don't expect it, and you'll try to recover from it."

That just sounded like assault.

* * *

"Don't catch yourself on your hands like that! Do you want your wrists to snap like the worthless twigs that they are?"

"If you fall like that, you'll throw your back out before you hit thirty."

"I was going to push you at random intervals, but you keep falling without my help."

"…_Hopeless…_"

This was hell. She was in hell, right? And Michele was Satan.

Somehow, this was probably all Noel's fault.

Some punk with a gun appeared. Whatever. She didn't really remember. Zephyr showed off his fighting for the first time – he conjured a large, purple magic spear and gored the pistol-user with ease. There was a Barney the Dinosaur joke to be made here, but she didn't have the energy or heart to make one. And that said something about the grimness of the situation – when did she not have the heart for _Barney the Dinosaur jokes?_

While Claris's healing spells closed her scratches and prevented infections, they did little for the bruises and aches and _soul-crushing despair _she was feeling.

"You've got to fight me sometime, Zephyr," Eze said, looking impressed by the display of power.

"Once she returns to Elgaia, I wouldn't mind a spar," he agreed.

Eze gave a barking laugh. "Alright, who's next? I want to show off, too!"

"That would be I."

A lone figure stood in the middle of the group's path. His glasses gave him an intellectual look, but the Summoner surmised that he was an idiot, because who wears full robes and a cape in this kind of humidity?

Eze seemed to know the answer to her rhetorical question.

"Weiss?"

* * *

** Welcome to **_**Quorum, **_**where everyone is kind of an asshole and eris tries to write a shoujo manga in prose form, and fails because she is about as romantic as a piece of gum stuck to the floor. As I was writing the scrappy fistfight against Michele, I realized: with Michele filling the tsundere role, what do I do about Seria? ROOKIE MISTAKES, man. Rookie mistakes. Whatever, I'm just glad that I can write more girls now. This fanfic was becoming a gross sausage fest.**

** What to look forward to in the next chapter when/if it comes out: WE'RE GONNA CLEAR MISTRAL GOD DAMN IT, another summon, a private rendezvous with the main love interest of this story? Just kidding, there is no main love interest. **

** Thanks for reading,**

** -eris**


	6. Chapter 6

"It seems you're loud as ever, Eze," Glasses said, pushing up his frames on his nose with a gloved hand.

"What are you doing here?" the swordsman asked, walking forwards towards the man.

"Do you know him?" The Summoner asked.

"Yeah, this is Weiss. I fought alongside him a few times during the war. He's pretty useless and all he does is complain about budgets and crap," he said over his shoulder.

Weiss, huh? It was a name that sounded elegant and high-class, a fact only compounded by his refined manner and sharp gaze. The glasses helped, too.

He seemed like the snobby intellectual type who thrived in academia, but was actually just a big _tsundere _when it came to people he cared about. Perhaps, there was a chance he was close with Eze…?

"I'm not familiar with the term 'tsundere.'"

She squinted at Zephyr. "Have you been reading my mind again?"

"No, you just said that all out loud."

The Summoner had the decency to look sheepish as Weiss gave the group a withering look.

"On the contrary," he said, voice stiff with irritation, "it was due to the reckless actions of _a certain individual _that required Atharvan coffers to be drained due to unnecessary damage caused to infrastructure during skirmishes."

_But Atharva was also destroyed in the war, _she wanted to interject, but that sounded kind of rude so she kept her mouth shut.

"He's pretty much calling you a public disturbance, Eze," the Summoner stage-whispered.

"Oh. Well, he does that all the time, so I guess he's boring as ever. What are you doing here, Weiss?" Eze shoved his pinky in his ear, eyes half-lidded and ready to ignore the other man's reply.

"…" Weiss's face was shadowed, the glint off his glasses the only aspect of his face that was visible.

"I've been tasked by Maxwell with testing your capabilities as a Summoner," Weiss said, looking at her directly. "Considering that you've summoned Eze as your first, I think that humanity is doomed."

Wait, what? Her expression must have revealed her confusion, because he elaborated.

"The Four Fallen Gods are not some thoughtless malevolent entity. Each one is intelligent and ruthless in myriad ways. As you observe them, you're being stared at the entire time, too. If they took you seriously, do you think you could afford to flounder about with your Units as you are?"

Weiss was right. Weiss was very right. She was only allowed to learn because her enemies gave her the breathing room to. She wasn't being taken seriously. The realization stung her ego, but pragmatically speaking, she was in a lucky situation.

"Why are you telling me this, if you're the enemy?"

Weiss gave her a look that suggested that he thought she was very stupid.

"Because, Miss Summoner," he said, tone prickly with condescension, "_everybody _loves an underdog story."

"What are you talking about, Weiss?" Eze demanded, stomping towards the other man. Weiss dodged his attack, sticking a leg out and planting his foot in the small of Eze's back when the blonde tripped.

"It's not something you need to worry about. All you need to do is stay alert and swing your sword in any direction that _she-_" Weiss gestured towards her. "-points you in."

The Summoner frowned. In digesting the facts of Weiss's verbose speech, she had kind of forgotten that the others were also present, listening along as well.

Weiss then leapt backwards, avoiding the wide downward sweep of a flaming axe, intense heat kissing his skin and turning it red.

"Stupid men who lounge about and talk too much annoy me," Michele said as she brandished her weapon at him. With her free hand, she helped Eze up to his feet.

The Summoner felt a tug at her cape.

"You forgot we were here as well, didn't you?" Claris chided softly, her large eyes reprimanding.

"You've got a tendency to tunnel vision when stressed. It's a dangerous habit," Kuda said, running a single finger down the back of her neck. She _eeped _at the tickling sensation and tensed up, and slapped his hand away.

Michele glared at Weiss. Having been on the receiving end of that glare in the past, the Summoner knew that it couldn't have been pleasant.

"That idiot summoner over there," Michele said as she jabbed a finger in the direction of the summoner in question, "is utterly hopeless and incompetent. If she doesn't get herself killed before the end of all of this, she'll probably do it from something as she is, like getting drowned by a Squirty, or something."

The Summoner winced as she remembered the FUN SHENANIGANS in the Egor Snowfield. Michele hadn't been fighting alongside them then, and the Summoner was rather grateful for it. If the blonde had seen her getting destroyed by a Squirty, it would have taken exponentially more effort to win her over.

"The point is that this one, that one, the other one, Zephyr, and myself are going to kick your ass," Michele said. She cracked her neck, looking satisfied with her speech.

"Yeah!" 'this one,' otherwise known as Eze, said, lightning crackling and dancing on his sword as his lips curled up into a feral grin. He nodded at Michele. "You know, you're actually pretty cool."

Michele returned his nod with one of her own, smirking.

W-wait… how was that speech motivational in any way? Michele just insulted her and declared a gang-beat on Weiss. There was nothing remotely pleasant or profound about it at all!

"Your has found its fighting spirit," Weiss said. He looked impressed.

_Weiss, do you not see anything wrong with this situation? _She wanted to scream.

"It seems like everyone's getting excited," Zephyr said, smiling at her distressed face. "It wouldn't do to bring down the mood." A flick of his wrist, and tendrils of dark energy flickered and materialized into the form of a spear in his outstretched left hand, pulsating with power.

Even the sanest member of her party was being swept into this… this super _shonen-manga_-like scene. She decided that caring was not worth the effort at this point, and resisted the urge to ask everyone if they were _nuts _as they shifted into aggressive stances.

"Come at me." Weiss beckoned with two fingers, eyes hawklike and predatory. He pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose with his other hand. He would have looked formidable, if not for the beads of sweat rolling down his pale face. His hair, which the Summoner thought would be fluffy and nice to run a hand through on normal occasions, was stringy and limp.

He unstrapped the large book hanging from the belt at his waist and opened it, the beginnings of a spell forming on his lips. The Summoner stood at attention, alert and ready to dodge any oncoming attacks.

But Weiss wobbled. Then he slumped and dropped like a puppet with its strings cut, water splashing as he fell to his knees. He kissed the ground, falling facedown.

"Did we just win?" she blurted out, after a moment of awkward silence. She walked over to the prone young man and turned him over. His robes were stained with mud. She was surprised at how light he was, even for someone with civilian levels of strength like herself.

Michele's words came at her like a bullet. "He could be faking! Why are you so irresponsible-"

"Nah. It's heat stroke, I think," the Summoner said, unclasping Weiss's cape. The removal of the yellow cloth revealed a _very _red, flushed skin that felt hot to touch. "I didn't know you guys were afflicted with stuff like this, since you're ghosts and all."

They didn't have access to a hospital. And to treat heat stroke…

She reached out with her mind, and a Squirty popped into existence. She plopped it onto Weiss's face. Reluctantly, everyone put away their weapons and approached the scene.

"So do we take him with us, or…" she trailed off.

"You're suggesting that we allow an enemy into our group. Not only that, but we protect him. And burden ourselves with transporting him," Kuda said, voice flat. _I cannot believe that you would even think of something so foolish, much less deem it worthy to vocalize as a suggestion._

Wow, she was getting really good at reading Kuda's body language.

"Well, he _is _Eze's friend," the Summoner said, frowning.

"I never said that," Eze protested.

"It would be inviting unnecessary risk," Zephyr said. "Besides, there is no pressing need to treat him. We've all experienced death before, after all."

She hung her head. She was defeated, it seemed.

* * *

She was about to order the Squirty to sit on Weiss's face indefinitely, because she felt bad for leaving him lying in the muck of the wetlands. It wouldn't do much for the stroke, but at least he'd be a touch more comfortable. But then the situation resolved itself, and Weiss faded away in white light.

The party left the wetlands by foot, and the humidity and heat rapidly decreased. The temperature was mild and the air was crisp, and really, _how _did Grand Gaia manage such regional weather? She felt like if she took three steps backwards, the humidity would shoot up by seventy percent.

It didn't make sense. A lot of it didn't make sense.

"It's bothering all of us, you know," Claris said as they traveled forwards, the last copse of trees of the wetlands fading into the distance behind them.

"I find that hard to believe," the Summoner said, recalling their unconcerned flippancy when it came to their enemy's wounds. The most remorse at Weiss's plight had been expressed by Eze, but not in the way she had expected.

("Man, I wish I brought a camera! He's always looking down on me, so he's getting what he deserves!") But then again, if they fought in war-like situations, maybe that was to be expected…

Either way, the encounter left her feeling uneasy and she had the vague feeling that she'd end up having some violent moral clash with at least one of them, sooner or later.

Claris smiled sheepishly. "Perhaps it isn't in the same way that you're worried, but..." she looked troubled. "For all I can remember of the afterlife, I don't recall an instance where a Unit wasever endangered by injuries. When we're summoned, our relative strength is largely reflective of the summoner's strength, not our own. If I'm taken down in battle, I'll feel pain, but the real damage is done to you."

The Summoner nodded and accepted the explanation. Thinking about it, though… if the strength of the unit reflected the strength of the summoner, then what happened didn't make any sense. Maxwell wouldn't just _run out of power_. Considering that the Summoner herself had the ability to keep half a dozen people free of heat stroke in a stuffy marsh (though admittedly, most of her units wore way less clothes than Weiss did), she was pretty sure that shenanigans were happening.

Did that mean that Maxwell cut off the connection with Weiss on purpose? Did she want to be underestimated by the Summoner? After all, arrogance killed as much as swords and guns did.

That seemed rather cut-and-dry for a sinister, divine plot though.

…Was it because of what Weiss said to her? But it wasn't like his harsh statements were unexpected. Maybe it was to prevent him from saying something else, something potentially damaging.

But then that meant that Maxwell _was _taking her seriously, at least a little bit. Which contradicted what Weiss said.

Her head hurt.

"By the way, you said that you didn't know what a geomancer was before," Claris said, watching the Summoner's expressions contort from a range between contemplative and pained.

"Hmm? Yeah. Since it's "geo," I imagine that it has to do with the earth, but you haven't gone around flinging mud at people, so…" the Summoner trailed off, chuckling.

"You're on the right track. A geomancer harnesses the abilities of nature itself, which includes the earth. It makes us good at healing. We are also skilled at surveillance and location, since we can tap into nature's perceptions."

Badass. Claris was such a badass.

"At higher levels, we can manipulate space and time itself. Towards the end of my training, I gained the ability to traverse time."

A time traveler. Based off of fanfictions she read, time-travelers tended to be jaded and badass, pursuing their goals with good intent but often ending up villainous themselves.

She saw none of that in Claris's warm brown eyes, only a sense of peace and self-confidence that belied her young age.

"Can you still use the ability as a Unit?"

The Summoner suspected that the answer was "no." Because combined with a gods' nearly-unlimited powers and Claris's extraordinary abilities, humanity would have been completely hopeless if Maxwell could manipulate time.

Rather than affirm or deny the question, Claris gave her a sideways glance and smiled.

Then, petite hands gripped at her shoulders, and a pair of soft lips were firmly pressed against hers. The kiss was firm and affectionate. She felt Claris's spirit (was that the right thing to call it?) pulse through their mental connection, and wow, sensory overload.

Moreover, how had she gotten more action in the past three days than she had in the past _three _months before that?! It was kind of ludicrous.

"Please take care of me, Boss." She winked, got off her tiptoes, and then walked ahead of the group, humming a vaguely familiar tune and swinging her staff to the beat.

Dazed, the Summoner traced her lips with a finger.

Did that just happen?

There was silence as everyone stilled. Then:

"It's unfair that you got mad at mefor kissing you, and you don't care when _she_ does it," Kuda said, a little huffily. Was he pouting? How cute.

"You _what_?!" Michele turned her head towards him, whipping Eze in the face with her impressively long hair.

"I think it says something about the impressions we give off, _Kuda,"_ Claris said with deceptively placid expression on her face. The Summoner didn't think Kuda's name could be spoken in a way that oozed so much condescension, but man, Claris had a talent, right there next to the penchant for time-travel.

"Is the impression "weak as an ant"? I recall you being squashed like an ant by corkscrew the first time around."

"An ant is capable of carrying many times its own weight."

"But it's still weak."

It was kind of surreal, watching a fully-grown man bicker with a girl who was at least a foot-and-a-half shorter than him.

But… huh. She didn't think the docile, peaceful girl had such an aggressive side to her. Hidden depths indeed.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. When she turned around, she was greeted by an uncharacteristically serious gaze from Eze. He tilted his head, stating a question without opening his mouth.

It was odd. When they first met, she thought he was kind of a quiet and weird but nice guy. She was right about most of it, save for the _quiet _part.

Heh. They had only met a few days ago, but she was already feeling a little nostalgic.

"I'm fine," she said, and smiled warmly. "Thanks for checking."

Eze was really the best. He nodded once, and removed his hand from her shoulder, looking thoughtful.

"But you know, the difference between feeling upset and feeling happy when receiving romantic attention is _attraction. _Which means-"

She wasn't upset by it. Maybe she'd grown a thicker skin? Or Claris hadn't threatened her life like Kuda did, and the kiss felt more like a friendly exchange than a bold declaration of dominance. Either way, she couldn't make her adorable squad worry about her!

"Ladies, ladies! You're both beautiful and there's plenty of me to go around-"

"You're supposed to pacifythem, idiot!" Michele groaned and slapped her forehead. The Summoner grinned.

"But for the record, I'd like to be _asked _about being kissed in the future. It's assault otherwise," she said, giving Claris a pointed look.

"So it's fine as long as we ask?" Kuda asked. He tilted her chin upwards, and then his face was close. Like, really close.

A beat. Then:

"Well, a 'yes' is also necessary," the Summoner said, putting her hand on the cloth covering Kuda's mouth and pushing him away. Then, he leaned backwards, dodging the armored fist that flew towards him.

"You're too weak to land a hit on him, and he deserves it, so I'll do it for you," Michele said, eyes half-lidded as she slammed one clenched hand against her open palm.

"_Michele…" _The Summoner felt touched for some reason. She clasped her hands together in admiration. While being shoehorned into the role of "helpless civilian maiden" was annoying (even though it was mostly true), she didn't mind being rescued by Michele, honestly. "It's fine, though. Let's get going."

And maybe it was a sign of progression in their relationship, or maybe Kuda's miffed expression lightened her mood, but Michele actually _listened. _She nodded, and walked ahead.

Hehe.

She really was lucky to have a squad full of amazing people.

* * *

Mirza was a sprawling collection of buildings made of sandy brownstone, or something like that. Ivy crawled over the walls, and only deep gouges in the ground suggested that anyone had been in the area recently. The trees were green and lush, not towering like those found in the Forest of Beasts, and not like the drooping, almost shrub-like trees found in the wetlands. Brilliant yellow-orange light was cast from the setting sun over their canopy.

The peacefulness was kind of surreal, a clear indication of nature fully recovering after the war sitting right next to a human remnant. As she stepped over the threshold of the ruins, she felt something change. She wasn't sure what, but it affected the air itself. It was eerie and she wanted to summon someone next to her, but on the way to Mirza, Zephyr had scolded her for unnecessarily wasting energy by having the squad out outside of battle.

"While companionship is a pleasant thing," he had said, giving her a look that made her feel like she was back in school and answered a teacher's question wrong, "you can't afford so much of it when your endurance is so low."

He was right. The weariness in her bones and the beginning pulses of a headache were undeniable. But that didn't mean she couldn't misdirect her frustration in his direction, even if he was only saying it because he cared about her well-being.

Urgh, it was hard to be mad at him.

The Summoner stepped into the ruins, and was surprised to see that the hallways were bright. She hadn't seen many windows from the outside. This wasn't an issue, though, because there were small lamps embedded in the wall, each one separated by a few feet. Were they magic, or so energy-efficient that they could operate for an indefinite years after anyone who could maintain them had left?

She also noticed a bright green luminescence that emanated from what seemed like the walls, which were carved with runes and symbols she couldn't understand. Hopefully, the green light wouldn't give her cancer, or something. It was really cool, nonetheless.

She heard the sounds of movement, and her head jerked up, hands finding the hilts of the short blades she purchased earlier.

"Oh, you've finally arrived!" Tilith said, walking out from behind a pillar.

What was she doing there? The Summoner voiced her question.

The goddess's faced morphed into an expression of annoyance. "I wasn't taking a nap or anything, okay? I was taking care of business."

Well, that was suspiciously specific. The Summoner chose not to comment.

"…Don't look at me like that!"

The Summoner refrained from laughing, but couldn't help the smile from spreading across her face. "Anyways, about these ruins."

Tilith perked up. "Yeah! These are the ruins of Mirza! This place was built thousands of years ago. It's considered a holy site, so lots of magic has been absorbed into the building itself. It makes the area really appealing to monsters!"

She said this with an inappropriately bright smile on her face. The Summoner felt her stomach sink.

"That sounds kind of horrifying?" she said. Tilith began walking down the large halls, so the Summoner followed.

A giggle. "Yup! I didn't think you could handle it, but if you've made it this far, then I think you can make it through these ruins fine! You've improved a lot, I think."

"Thanks." The Summoner raise a hand. "Question, though."

"What is it?"

"Wouldn't it be more efficient to make travel in a straight line to Mistral's Tower? Why make all these stops?"

Tilith faltered in her steps. "That's a good question! The truth is, it'd be almost impossible to access the tower right now."

"Why is that?"

"Maxwell has too much control over the lands. Even if you are decently powerful, breaking down the protections on the tower would be really tiring. Then, she'd swat your exhausted body away like a fly!"

"And travelling from location to location and fighting… will free areas from Maxwell's influence, and then make the journey easier as a whole?"

She nodded. "Maxwell is currently in St. Lamia. If we work on weakening her like this, the battles in the future will be easier. And she's so far away that she can't really do anything about it. Not that I'm sure you wouldn't be able to handle it, anyway."

The Summoner was pretty sure that if Maxwell came barreling through the wall right now, both of them would be dead. Well, at least she would be. She didn't know much about Tilith's fighting capability, and she _did _have some impressive teleportation skills.

Thinking about what Tilith said regarding the ambient magic in Mirza, though. Maybe it wasn't so bad to free powerful places like this from the God's control.

"Thanks for answering my question. Can I ask another one?"

"You just did!" Tilith said, and laughed. She moved her hand in a way that the Summoner interpreted as "go ahead."

"Are you a fighter? Just curious."

"Hmm. Well, as Lord Lucius's disciple, I can fight, naturally! But that's not my main duty," Tilith said.

"What's that, then?"

"I carry out Lord Lucius's will."

That explained exactly zero. But asking "what does he tell you to do?" seemed personal, so the Summoner kept her mouth shut. The two walked down the hall until Tilith stopped, her robes swishing around her form with the sudden halt.

"I can't go with you further than this," she said.

"Uh, why is that?"

"It's because I'm Lord Lucius's disciple, and Maxwell is also a god… uh, it's hard to explain! But I can't," Tilith said. "I'll see you when you clear these ruins, though! Don't die!"

Tilith pointed a finger at the Summoner. Then she lowered her arm, and smiled. It was uncharacteristically demure and earnest for someone who was so outspoken.

"It was a lot of fun talking to you, by the way! I'd be happy if we could do it again."

She teleported away.

The Summoner was alone. And she wondered: how old was Tilith, exactly? What duties did she have from Lucius? Were there other disciples who worked alongside her? Why wouldn't she go deeper into the ruins, when the Summoner, a normal human, was perfectly capable of it?

Well, the answer to that last question was probably "the difference between a goddess and a human." Who was she to question the probably-bizarre rules that bound divine beings?

The Summoner wondered what it meant if Tilith was so eager to have another conversation, when the Summoner viewed the exchange as kind of awkward more than anything.

She slumped to the ground. "Zepyhrrrrrrr," she groaned.

The man appeared at her request. "I thought you understood that- why are you on the ground?"

The Summoner ignored him, her eyes shut as she rubbed her face against the ground. Then, lifted her face from the dusty cobblestone. "I'm thinking too much."

"That's… not an answer to the question," he said.

"It is, though." Languidly, she rose into a sitting position. "I get the feeling that we'll be fighting soon, and it's better to be prepared than caught by surprise."

"Alright," he said, and gave her a look that probably meant something like _you're a fucking freak but I'm too polite to say anything about it._

"So let's summon the others, then!" She gathered the _intent _up in her mind and did the thing.

* * *

So, angels were a thing.

"They don't possess much individual will," Zephyr sad, deflecting a strike from a seraphim with a flick of pulsating magic, "and completely devote themselves to the gods. None of them are under Maxwell's direct command. Rather, they've been drawn to this temple's power and will attack anyone who doesn't have holy powers."

"Annoying ants," Michele said, and beheaded an Angel with her axe. Zephyr nodded once, and turned around to pierce one through the stomach.

"Aren't we just trespassing on their territory, then? It's not like their attack is unjustified." Zephyr's powers also melted through Angels like a hot knife through butter, and she felt like a bully again.

Zephyr gave her an inscrutable expression. "It's you, or them. There's no room for compassion in life-and-death situations," he said.

"It's only respectable if you come at your opponent with the intent to kill if they do the same!" Eze said, smiling during battle as he was wont to do.

She sighed. Their statements were valid and she understood them, but it was still frustrating. She closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair.

When she opened them, she froze.

An Angel stood before her, her luminous wings casting a silvery glow on their surroundings.

Crap. She stiffened, and then prepared to dodge the sword that would come swinging down at her.

Except it never came, because the angel sheathed her weapon, bowed at the Summoner's feet, and took her hand.

"I can sense your wish, Milady," the Angel said in a monotone voice. It was unnerving. "And I will lend you my power."

She disappeared in a flash of white.

"You're a charmer, aren't you?" Claris said, staring at the spot the Angel occupied a few moments earlier. "Or I wonder if she offered to join because she didn't want to die, like her sisters."

"Unlikely," Zephyr said. "Once an Angel swears fealty towards a cause, she will fight to the death for it. They may be weak, but in willful droves, they can be a nuisance."

Her squad returned to her, standing around in a circular formation. She wasn't sure what _wish _of hers the angel "heard," and wasn't she going against a _God,_ the beings she was supposed to serve, by allying herself with her?

The lull was interrupted by a clapping coming from the far end of the chamber.

"To earn the loyalty of an Angel after having disturbed her roost," a young girl said, "you must have unparalleled charisma and will."

Kuda snorted. The Summoner resolved to spike his food with something nasty.

The new comer was dressed in layers of colorful robes, and her rose-colored hair was pinned into an updo that reminded the Summoner of a pretzel. She held a slender golden staff in her hands.

"I am Mimir," the girl said. Her voice was quiet, but confident. It was like she was confident that her message would be heard, even if her voice was low.

All in all, she didn't look much like a fighter.

"Since you've defeated my companions, I had to request some assistance," Mimir said, serene expression on her face.

From who?

The Summoner heard a neighing sound that echoed progressively louder through the empty halls. A sleek white horse with luminous green wings soared above them and landed next to the petite girl. Its electric-blue mane fluttered as it shook its head.

She noticed the cyan horn on its head. Oh. Unicorns were a thing, too.

The unicorn regarded her with obvious disdain. "With the Light Lord by my side, I will eradicate all the impure hearts that dare show themselves before me. Like yours." The voice was decidedly masculine.

Whoa, ouch! She just got slam-dunked by a horse. How? They didn't even have hands to hold a basketball with.

Her shock and hurt must have shown on her face, because Michele also let out a snort, her shoulders shaking.

"I thought unicorns were meant to be friendly, kind creatures," the Summoner grumbled. "What's with you?"

The unicorn reared his head, nostrils flaring. "_I am a Pegasus, you bigoted whelp,_" it said vehemently.

"S-sorry!" Man, she looked like _such _a jackass here. Her face burned crimson as she bent her waist at ninety degrees and bowed. She was pretty sure that Michele's was also red, but from holding in laughter.

"But anyways," Claris said, as the girl patted the Summoner's back with her staff. The soft jingling of the bell hanging from its tip was oddly soothing as it thumped against her shoulder blades. "You talk impressively, but you guys are pretty weak, aren't you?"

"You two are not the strongest source of power in these ruins," Zephyr said, and raised a hand. "Eze, if you will."

He let out an excited yell, in an instant, he ran at the stunned Mimir.

"Thunder Expulsion!"

The unicorn – oops, the Pegasus – charged in front of the girl, stretching its wings so they would absorb the brunt of the crackling electricity that split out from Eze's sword. With a sweep of his head, the Pegasus's horn was able to parry Batootha's downward swing.

"Dark Cut," Zephyr said, and flung a large blade of violet energy towards the skirmish with a flex of his left arm.

The spell hurtled towards the two. It was pulsating as it wrapped itself around the sword, yellow and black dancing with each other.

It seemed to affect the Pegasus as well, and as Eze pressed down on its horn…

The Summoner thought that it might have been splintering. Then, a burst of light, and the Pegasus was cleaved in half and disintegrating into bursts of energy. It was like the walls of Mirza _absorbed _the creature's essence as it disappeared.

The impact had thrown Mimir against the wall. She probably hit her head hard, because she was out cold.

Again, the battle was underwhelming, honestly.

"Nice spark," Michele said, watching as the Summoner picked up the materials left behind by the Pegasus. "Your timing was excellent."

"Thank you," Zephyr said.

"…Spark?" the Summoner said/asked, feeling out of the loop, but what else was new?

"When two or more allies time an attack in the same instant, their powers often combine and amplify. That is 'spark.' Since everyone has a different sense of battle rhythm and speed, it takes much practice before it can be achieved consistently," Zephyr explained.

Then it _was _impressive that Zephyr had been able to do it after knowing Eze for such a short time.

"In the future, you should be able to coordinate any Units fighting on your behalf and maximize the number of sparks in battle," Michele said. "Though, considering you, it'll be the _very distant future."_

"Considering that you're at the center of our consciences, sparking tends to be intuitive to summoners. You don't have much battle experience, so I imagine you'll be more passive in conflicts, and can observe the most opportune moments," Zephyr said.

"I hope I don't disappoint, then!" She'd have to watch and learn how each person fought, how they made decisions, and how they timed attacks. The Summoner didn't really understand how it could be _intuitive _when sparking sounded like it was based on observation, but she'd just have to give it a try.

They found a doorway further down the chamber that Mimir and the Pegasus had blocked. Upon walking through, the cool night air greeted the Summoner.

Hmm. She didn't realize that how much time had passed while they were fighting in the ruins.

Her stomach lurched. She was kind of hungry, actually. Had she eaten anything since the morning?

Claris shifted.

"I sense Maxwell's presence. Her agent is nearby, I think."

There was a figure standing at the middle of a dais a stone's throw away from them. Their opponent was a tall, curvy girl who seemed energetic and boisterous, even though she was standing perfectly still. Her coloration was bright, from her aquamarine intense eyes to her tan skin and golden hair.

She levelled a look at the party, and hefted her large lance up to rest on her shoulder.

"So you're all gonna be my opponents, then?" she said. "You look like fucking _chumps._"

She sucked her teeth, the sound echoing across the ruins.

"Um," the Summoner replied eloquently.

Kuda sighed, and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "She's Luna, a hero from La Veda. Writers never quote her directly, and I'm sure even you can tell why."

In response to this, Luna made a hand gesture that was very rude, judging by her smug expression and the outraged sound Michele made in response to it.

The ethereal beauty and heroism combined with the dissonant speech patterns of a common thug.

"I like you," the Summoner said.

Michele elbowed her, and her elbow was so bony and sharp that the Summoner realized that Michele didn't need to carry around weapons. She could kill men with her elbows. "Don't send mixed signals to the villain by telling them that you like them, stupid!"

Luna sucked her teeth again. "Considering that you six are ganging up on one person… doesn't that make you all the villains? Dumbass."

Before the Summoner could control herself, her body moved, her arms wrapping around Michele to prevent the other blonde from attacking Luna.

This all seemed kind of backwards. But Luna did have a point.

"Well, you _do _have the support of the Four Fallen Gods," the Summoner said, standing straight once Michele's form relaxed.

Luna looked thoughtful. "That's true. You're nowhere near their level," the girl said.

She moved into an aggressive stand, and attacked.

The tip of her lance probably would have impaled the Summoner's skull, if not for the sword that intercepted its trajectory. Sparks flew, and the training blade she bought earlier cracked under the pressure of Luna's attack.

"Perhaps you ought to focus a bit more," Zephyr said, voice clipped. "Don't speak to the enemy like they're your ally."

It was a second. Her eyes could barely follow Luna launching her attack, Zephyr grabbing her sword and intercepting the attack.

He handed the broken weapon back to her. "I'll be helping Michele with your training," he said. "Please don't forget the difference between a Unit and a normal human."

_You are trash how you even gather the energy to drag yourself out of the trash can in the morning_, Zephyr was essentially saying. Part of her wanted to lie on the ground and eat something fattening and cry for a few hours, but she nodded. Because he was right.

While Zephyr could have been referring to the gap in skill between herself and the Units, she knew that he meant something else by it.

_For me, death is permanent. _That was his point.

"Do you think you're cool, or something?" Luna said. "Your tattoo is tacky, by the way."

Hey, hey. Now that was uncalled for. Zephyr's tattoo was really cool and stylish. And considering Luna's shiny turquoise chestpiece, she shouldn't be commenting on others' tackiness.

Rather than call her out on that, the Summoner asked, "In death, why would you serve the side you fought against in life?"

Luna frowned. She opened her mouth. "That doesn't matter anymore," she said, her voice becoming cold. It was odd. While she wasn't nice by any means, there was a kind of charm to her rough mannerisms.

Unsettling. Luna stared back at her with sober eyes, and it even felt like the girl's bright, brilliant colors had become muted and dull.

"I agree. It doesn't," a voice, one she knew fairly well, remarked.

Luna's chest burst in a flurry of red gore as a blade snaked through her body, ripping skin and flesh. Despite the evisceration, her face remained neutral. She cast a blank look at Kuda.

"Oh, don't give me that," Kuda said, shaking the blood off his whip with a single flick. "You're not taking us seriously, anyway."

Helpless and bleeding on the ground, Luna still managed to remain composed and cool. She tilted her head towards the Summoner, and smiled. Or rather, she bared her teeth. They were stained pink.

The hero of La Veda disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

"Noel!"

The boy regarded her in a way similar to the way a person would regard an insect floating in their soup. Then he looked down and returned to writing about whatever satanic rituals he enjoyed writing about.

"You're mean."

"And you have too much free time," Noel retorted.

She flopped dramatically into the seat next to him. "I just wanted to greet my favorite researcher in the world. You're so cold that I'm getting frostbite."

"You're here awfully late. You want something." It wasn't a question.

Wasn't he a bit too dedicated to his job, being here so late? Then again, it suited him perfectly. That's why the Summoner was able to guess that he would still be here. She looked sideways at his paper, and immediately zoned out at the sight of esoteric-looking diagrams and complicated equations.

"Yeah. I wanted to ask for your advice about a training regimen. I know I should work on technique and stuff, but I think I ought to work on my endurance, too."

Because asking one of the Units would be like asking for death. She already experienced some of that when she was bullied by Michele earlier.

Those people… didn't understand what being a civilian was like. Overpowered weirdoes.

Noel, on the other hand, was a scientist who specialized in synthesizing power from nothing, and would have a better idea of what was healthy. And he looked kind of frail and pathetic, so he probably thought that like five push-ups was impressive.

But Noel was a _scientist, _which meant that he had the potential for infinite amounts of evil.

He put his pen down and looked at her. "How do you feel right now?" he asked.

"Absolutely exhausted. Like I want to die," she replied immediately. He rolled his eyes at her.

"Overworking your muscles will be detrimental. If you can't handle the daily tasks of being a Summoner, don't try to supplement your activities with a real workout. Make sure you stretch at the start and the end of the day, though," Noel said, returning to his work.

"Is that really okay?" She was expecting _something_, at least.

"Considering that I called you at ten earlier today, and you don't have any duties to the Hall, you've been adventuring for about fifteen hours straight," Noel said. "Adding a cardio workout to that sounds cruel. Ask your Units or someone to train you on simple combat stances while you're out in the field."

"But the problem is that they're too high-leveled. It's like, they jump from A to E while I'm still struggling at B," she said, frowning.

"Have you even eaten dinner?" Noel interjected. The Summoner admired how the speed of his pen didn't slow at all while speaking. She always made mistakes while writing and talking at the same time.

"Um."

"You're really something else," he said, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. "Wait a minute."

He got up and left the lab, irritation radiating off of him, apparent in the stiffness of his back and his borderline-stomping footsteps. She held her head in her hands and waited for him to return.

And waited. And waited…

* * *

She woke up to the sound of a door opening. A girl was standing at an unfamiliar doorway. Where was she? Her neck and shoulders felt sore, and she felt the table under her folded arms.

Noel's lab. She must have fallen asleep sometime last night. There was a thin blanket tossed around her shoulders. The two girls stared at each other, one energetic and the other bleary.

"You're awake!" the girl – Lin, if the Summoner's memory didn't fail her – said. "I came to check if you were up and if you wanted to have lunch with me."

Lunch.

"What time is it?"

"Half past noon."

Shit. There went any hopes of a productive day.

"Sure, let's get lunch," the Summoner said, cringing at her stupid, broken circadian rhythm. There was an audible crack when she stretched backwards. "Do you mind if I use the restroom first, though?"

"No problem! Noel said to give this to you, because 'she'll need it,'" Lin said, scrunching her nose at the last three words as her voice turned snide.

The Summoner smiled. "Thanks," she said, and accepted the bag in her hands.

Noel, for all his surliness and apparent apathy, was a beautiful human being and she loved him. Inside, there was another change of clothes, along with several books and what looked like a memory chip.

_Only do the more intensive regiments on days that you're not adventuring. Set up a schedule. The chip goes into your communicator. __Eat regular meals._

_ Your unreasonable magic levels can only sustain your body for so long._

_ -N_

She grabbed bathing supplies from the closet and hopped into the same stall that she used during the aftermath of her shenanigans with Mock!Karl.

Talking with Noel soothed her frazzled nerves. Maybe it was because the boy was so tightly-wound and a touch pretentious, but she was able to forget about her troubles when she spoke with him. Kids were so cute, hehe.

Alone in the shower, though (did anyone other than her use them? They were way too immaculate…), the uncertainties came rushing back.

The trainwreck of a final battle yesterday, for one. She noted that Kuda was able to take down Luna with ease, just like in their previous battles. It got all weird at the end. Like… Luna was possessed by something.

Maxwell? Or someone else? Moreover, why bother?

Weiss's words, too… it all made her feel like she was an insignificant pawn in the grand scheme of things, despite Tilith's kind words.

She was also like ninety-five percent sure that Zephyr was annoyed at her for being a Weak Human Maggot. Well, maybe not _annoyed_, but disappointed, and that was probably worse.

As the summoner, she got the impression that she should be the emotional and military leader of the team. So far, all of the squad had pretty much done their own thing, and they managed to get by. She doubted these tactics would hold up in higher levels of fighting.

There was also what Noel said about having unreasonable magic levels. That sounded suspicious, but Noel was the type of person who wouldn't make declarations unless he had at least three impartial studies about the topic at hand. Her lack of food and forethought yesterday were contributing to a pulsing headache at her temple.

Considering that many hours of hard travelling and adrenaline-highs should have had her passed out or severely dehydrated within three hours, perhaps "magic" was the reason behind it. She _forgot _to eat, simply because she hadn't felt any urge to yesterday.

Could she channel the ability towards more useful things, like healing? In a way, running on magic yesterday was like her healing her own cells that had been damaged by negligence.

She couldn't even control it. How annoying.

She wiped her dripping body off and changed into the outfit Noel provided her. It was identical to the armor her gave her the other day, and wait a second, when did he get her measurements?

Asking that type of question would likely end in her going insane, so she veered off that train of thought and mentally thanked Noel for the clothes.

Lin was waiting for her back in Noel's lab, tapping away at what looked like a heavily-modded version of the communicator that the Summoner used. She looked up at the sound of footsteps.

"Are you ready? Let's go!" the other girl said, grabbing the Summoner's hand and dragging her through the door and down the hall. "You've never seen the canteen, right? I'd take you somewhere else, but the food here is actually pretty yummy!"

The Summoner lurched forward with a yelp, and let herself be pulled along. Different rooms and wall decorations passed her in a blur. She thought she heard variations of phrases like "who is that with Lin" and stuff, but she was preoccupied with not tripping over her own feet.

"Here we are!" Lin said, looking proud of herself. "The Hall takes care of its summoners, so it's all-you-can-eat! Please help yourself!"

The canteen was set up like a large dining hall, with an upper-level full of tables and booths. The décor was tasteful, unlike the Spartan cafeteria she expected. On the far side, there were chefs standing in a line, serving people, and there were self-serve stations for dessert and salad.

In other words, she got way too much food. The Summoner blushed as a chef winked at her and gave her an extra-large portion. This was her third trip on the line, by the way.

"I don't get why I'm so hungry," she said, frowning. Then she took a huge bite of the sandwich on her plate, and set it down next to the empty bowl that had once been filled with stew. "I usually don't eat this much." It wasn't even a matter of self-consciousness – did she even have enough room in her stomach to fit all the food she was putting in there?

"Don't worry about it," Lin said, laughing at her misery. "Summoners tend to eat a lot, since they exercise and use magic extensively. Newbies eat more than that, because their magic reserves are still growing!"

She wasn't going to die of a burst stomach then. That was reassuring.

"Is it bad that I _still_ want more?" the Summoner moaned, planting her forehead on the cool tabletop. Lin stood up.

"I'll go with you, if you want! I have a separate stomach for sweets, and the buns are really good." Lin extended a hand, and for all intents and purposes, looked like an angelic savior.

"I know that we've only known each other for like a day, but I love you," the Summoner said, taking her hand.

Lin giggled. "It's no problem! Us beginners have to stick together, after all."

"Oh, are you also a summoner?"

"Not at all! I'm part of Logistics Support. We handle exploration efforts across Grand Gaia and the Vortex. I joined a month ago, but I still get scolded by my boss a lot," Lin said, and looked wary, as if her boss could pop out at any second and start reprimanding her.

"Your boss just doesn't understand how cool you are, Lin!" the Summoner said.

"Haha, if only! I make a lot of mistakes. But anyways, I bet I'll be communicating with you in the near future…"

Lunch was a pleasant affair.

* * *

"Aah, it's a haunted house," the Summoner said, examining the nameplate at the gate. It had weathered over time, making it illegible. "I wonder who used to live here?" It was a waste that they were visiting during the daytime.

Even though she said that, the dead silence and gloomy atmosphere still make the building look eerie. She _was _talking to herself, so the house could be driving her insane.

Oh, was that Tilith? The goddess's bright clothing and hair were striking amongst the drab scenery. The Summoner jumped at her, wondering if the girl was capable of being surprised.

Tilith shrieked loudly, and fell on her backside.

Well, that was… the Summoner joined her on the ground, cackling madly.

"H-how rude!" Tilith's face was scarlet.

"C-come on… that was pretty f-funny, right?" the Summoner said between laughs.

"Don't-! This place is called the 'Monsters' Nest' for a reason!"

The Summoner smiled at her.

"You're mean…"

"Sorry, sorry!" the girl said, not sounding not very sorry at all. "It's just that you're this powerful goddess who can probably destroy any monster in this place with no trouble, but you're still spooked by things like ghosts. It's really cute!"

Tilith didn't become any less flustered, and floundered about a bit before saying, "I'll just see you at the foot of the Tower of Mistral, okay?" before leaving.

The Summoner walked into the mansion, humming a tune to herself. It was decrepit and filled to the brim with cobwebs. Dust motes were visible in the pale beams of sunlight that filtered in from the cracked walls.

"You're not scared of places like this?" Kuda asked, once she summoned them after reaching the foyer of the house. It was only because she felt that something was nearby, and was this the supposed _magic_ she had in her?

"Nah, I love horror stories," she replied. "The short, cryptic ones are the best! Like, have you ever heard the one about the child playing in her bedroom? Her mother calls her from the kitchen, so the girl leaves her room and is about to go down the stairs. As she walks down the hall, she's dragged into a closet! Before she can scream, a hand covers her mouth."

"It's her mother. 'Don't go into the kitchen,' the mother says. 'I heard it calling too.'"

Silence. Then:

"Was the impostor the mother calling from the kitchen, or the mother in the closet?" Zephyr mused thoughtfully.

"…_Exactly! _Zephyr, you get me," she said, trying to read his voice for any signs of annoyance or dislike.

"These kinds of stories are pointless," Michele said, scoffing. "Why deliberate on the worst possibilities when you can just- _eek_!"

A drop of water from the leaking ceiling fell onto the back of her neck and rolled down the bare skin. The Summoner clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter. The attempt left much to be desired.

"Not a word," Michele growled, flush visible even in the dim light. Her eyebrow twitched. "I was just surprised is all!"

Michele was so _cute, _holy crap. She didn't seem perturbed by the unsettling atmosphere of the mansion, but it was fun to tease her nonetheless. At least, it was fun when her reaction was yelling and not violence.

The blonde's foul temper persisted as they exterminated the first floor of the manor.

"W-wait a second, was that a _medusa?_"

Michele snorted. "It's tasty when char-broiled, so who cares?"

* * *

Cute but utterly terrifying.

Zephyr cornered her after the Summoner paused the group to gather some of the materials that their opponents dropped. The others were lounging and walking through the empty hallways, exploring rooms.

She wondered if the bones and fangs she was picking up would make good soup.

"I'm not upset at you," Zepyhr said, after staring at her unnervingly for a few seconds. The Summoner gulped. Was this a confrontation?

"I understand that you don't have much experience, and it is in all of our best interests that you improve. I apologize if I am impatient at times. I haven't been a teacher in a long while."

Zephyr…!

She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She felt him tense up, and then relax. He ran a hand through her hair and then settled for patting it, kind of like a master petting an overeager dog.

"So you don't hate my plebeian guts after all. I'm happy."

"What drove you to _that _conclusion?" Zephyr asked.

She didn't reply, and simply squeezed tighter. That's right, she was being silly. Zephyr was pretty much a saint, and was incapable of impure feelings such as resentment.

"What are you two doing?" Claris asked dryly from the hallway.

After the feelings-fest (she had given Claris a placating hug as well), the Summoner and co. were ready to leave the mansion.

They were blocked by a lone man, dressed like he came from feudal Japan. He wore a wide-brimmed rice hat and a simple black _hakama. _

"I am Mifune," he said, raising his hat to reveal steadfast, onyx-black eyes. "My sword craves human blood. I must cut you down. I apologize."

She thought Luna was fast. The Summoner saw his ponytail flick, and then she was tugged forward by Michele.

But she felt a stinging on the underside of her chin. She touched the source of the pain, and her fingertips came away red.

Mifune's katana glowed ominous red-violet, and the small streak of her blood on its edge seemed to be absorbed into the metal. Creepy.

His eyes… they were completely blank, and chilled her.

The Summoner was hefted into a pair of warm arms. Kuda sent an attack at Mifune, giving Eze the opportunity to jump away with her in his grasp.

She had to focus. What could she do that wouldn't interfere with the others? She was usually the group's liability, but it was amplified by their opponent, whose sword seemed to have a magnetic attraction to her. Mifune could dodge and parry their attacks, and his sword would come dangerously close to her time and time again.

Eze was panting, and she could feel his chest rising and falling rapidly as he was nicked by the blade again. She frowned.

"Don't worry about me. You're the only one here who's in actual danger," he said.

That didn't stop her from feeling extraordinarily guilty, though. Since he was keeping her away from Mifune's strikes, Eze didn't have any way of protecting himself.

It was shameful.

"Eze," she whispered into his ear, "put me down."

"What? That's a terrible idea-" Eze said, but she gave him a Look, and maybe she wasn't a garbage summoner, or maybe it was because he was her first summon and he just understood her easier, but he nodded.

He let her dismount from his grasp. As her feet hit the ground, Mifune weaved his body around Michele's axe swing. With a two handed grip, he swung his katana at her waist, with the intent of slicing her in half.

"Battle-rhythm," Zephyr had said about sparks.

She could kind of understand it now. If Mifune had already been at close range, she'd be dead, but Eze's evasion and the others' efforts had managed to put some distance between them.

Mifune was a blur as he traveled towards the pair.

"What the _hell _are you doing?" Michele shouted from across the hall, outrage and _worry _apparent in her tone.

It was like Zephyr knew that she'd have an easier time if he used a musical term. If she could divide time up into smaller units, she could avoid being swept up by its momentum.

Mifune drew his sword backwards, and swung-

-and she dropped flat to the floor.

Batootha greeted Mifune's katana, steel meeting steel instead of flesh like the swordsman had been expecting.

Behind him, Kuda leapt up and aimed downwards, assaulting Mifune with his whip.

Mifune whirled around and deflected the lash, sending the chain flying in the other direction, skittering across the ground. He was so fast that it must have taken maybe one, one-and-a-half seconds.

It was all Eze needed to stab him through the chest.

It wasn't something cool and showy like a spark, but it was enough for Mifune to slump around the large sword, gurgling noise emitting from his throat as he tried to speak.

"N-not bad," he said, before disappearing.

Once he was gone, the Summoner sat up. She felt lightheaded and it felt like her ears had a pulse.

"That," Kuda said, hefting her up with a hand, "was astonishingly foolhardy, even for you."

"But it was AWESOME," she said once the shock wore off. "High five, Eze!"

Eze high-fived her. She grinned.

"I agree with Kuda," Zephyr said, frowning. The Summoner pouted.

"But didn't you say that I should be observing a battle and finding the right moment to strike?" She wanted to be praised, dammit.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I did, but putting yourself at risk like that is kind of…"

She felt fingers grabbing onto her ear and her head being yanked to the side. The Summoner came face-to-face with a _very _angry-looking Michele.

"I thought I told you about purposely putting yourself in danger like that," Michele hissed.

"B-but I can't improve if I just hide behind you guys and let you do your thing," the Summoner insisted, shirking away from her accusing stare. "Besides, we all came out unscathed, so it's not really a problem right?"

"I wouldn't say 'unscathed,'" Claris said. She walked up to the Summoner, and ran her fingers along the vertical cut on her neck.

"Ow!"

Claris glared at the cut. She lifted her staff, and rung the bell once.

Nothing happened.

"Huh?" the wound was still present, and boy, it stung.

Claris shook her staff again, a bit more vigorously. Again, nothing. Miffed, she stuck an arm out.

The Summoner placed a bottle of cure in her outstretched palm. Claris removed the lid, poured the liquid on her hand, and slapped her hand against the Summoner's throat.

She squeaked. It was _cold. _

"I can apply it myself, you know-!"

"Why isn't it healing?" Claris muttered, looking frustrated. It was odd seeing her like that, since the Summoner had only seen her in two moods: serene and kind, or sly (usually when verbally battling against Kuda).

"Uh, do you think it has to do with that katana?" the Summoner said. "Mifune did say something about it 'craving human blood,' after all."

She paused.

"Wait, does that mean I'm cursed?" she held her head in her hands and curled up into a ball.

"You might be," said Zephyr. When the Summoner wailed in despair, he quickly added, "Not in the way you're probably thinking of. I suspect that the wound will be unhealable with magic, and it will heal slowly." The _I think _was unsaid, and the Summoner wanted to cry.

"Hey, you'll have a cool scar afterwards," Eze said, trying to be helpful. "It'll be like a souvenir of this day."

* * *

"Congratulations on making it through the nest!" Tilith cheered. "I rushed here right away when I felt the protections on the tower had broken down."

She halted, and looked horrified.

"What happened to you?"

The Summoner scratched her cheek, the one that wasn't right next to a gaping wound on her face. "Well, you know, cursed swords and rookie mistakes and stuff like that. It's not life-threatening, so it's okay, I think."

Tilith still looked distressed. "Are you sure you don't want to return to Elgaia and get it looked at? Here, I can try healing you-"

"Nah, you don't have to waste the energy," the Summoner said, and avoided Tilith's wandering hands. "Claris tried healing me, and we tried using a Cure, but none of it worked. I guess it has to heal naturally."

At least it stopped bleeding. The Summoner was grateful for Vitamin K.

Tilith persisted, and the Summoner relented, letting the girl run her hands up and down her neck.

Then the goddess pressed her lips to the cut.

Well then.

Did people _not _understand the concept of personal space here? The Summoner felt her brain short-circuit. Tilith furrowed her eyebrows, and let out a _hmm._

"It seems like you've been cursed! You can drink some Holy Water to get rid of it. Do you have any on you?"

Tilith looked up at her, and she was still _really close. _

Uh. Did she?

"…No," the Summoner responded after realizing that she didn't even know how to make them. She was out of it, okay.

Tilith frowned. "Maxwell's subordinates in this tower are stronger than anything else you've fought so far in Mistral, you know. Going forward while injured could have fatal consequences!"

"I know," the Summoner said, "but I feel pretty fired up right now. I think I can handle it."

"I see…" Tilith looked contemplating. A moment passed, and then her eyes widened. She leapt backwards, face flushing. "S-sorry! I didn't realize…"

"Don't worry about it. You were worried about me, after all," the Summoner said, wishing that Tilith would stop bowing and apologizing. She wanted this scene to be over, more than anything.

* * *

Well, that was awkward. The Summoner trudged up the stairs of the tower miserably, letting Zephyr and Michele take out the familiar monsters that came charging at them.

The tower wasn't even that tall. From the outside, it looked to be maybe four or five stories high. Even so, it was foreboding. Who knew what horrors awaited inside?

At the same time, the feeling that her group was curb-stomping everything in its path resurfaced. A powerful-looking horned beast with rippling muscles confronted them, and it was turned into a well-cooked steak by Michele. Whenever the Summoner so much as looked at a monster, it was sliced into pieces by Eze.

Was her squad feeling extra-motivated? Or was Maxwell deliberately making their opponents weaker so that they'd let their guard down?

The Summoner heard a roar as the stairway emerged to an outdoor area. Skeletons marched down the stairs in front of them, and a dragon landed in front of her.

A mother-freaking dragon.

They were a thing, too. It was bright-blue, and had a wingspan of at least fifteen feet. Its fangs were sharp, the sunlight glinting off of them as it opened its mouth.

It let out another roar, and the Skeletons shied away from the source.

"Aah, it's too scary!"

"We have to fight with that?"

"It'll be easy though, right?"

"T-too scared… my legs won't move."

Skeletons were kind of hilarious, but the Summoner pitied them. They were dispatched quickly.

The dragon, though…

"The Wyvern is a powerful creature who rarely involve themselves with humans. They only serves noble spirits," Claris said, sending a spell at the dragon. "Maxwell must be more powerful than we thought, able to subjugate its will like that."

It roared again, and it seemed like it was in pain.

The Summoner felt bad for it.

But Zephyr had scolded her for feeling empathy for enemies…

If she beat Maxwell, then she wouldn't be able to force creatures to do her bidding, right?

The dragon fell in the face of Zephyr's Dark Cut. It made a hard impact with the stone ground, sending rubble flying about. A stone landed by her feet, and she picked it up.

It was a brilliant blue, the same color as the dragon's scales. She picked it up and wrapped her fist around it.

She tore her gaze away from the prone body, still twitching from the aftereffects of Eze's lightning attack, and faced forward. She could feel an overwhelming presence coming from the levels above them.

There were still foes to defeat.

* * *

Maxwell's creation was an eccentric thing. It resembled a metallic dragon, with a sweeping steel tail and claws that looked like they could tear through anything. Wings of metal jutted out from its back, sharp and vicious. Its upper half was oddly humanoid, and it wore an armored chestplate and a red helmet. Glowing eyes glared at her.

With a roar, the monstrosity lashed out with its tail, knocking over a pillar. Bits of stone flew towards the squad, most of which were skillfully deflected.

The ensuing fight was _draining_. The creature seemed to absorb all magic into its thick hide, and blades glanced off of it, barely leaving behind a scratch. Occasionally, its blows would leave one of the fighters disoriented, barely able to hold their weapon let alone coordinate a powerful strike.

Maybe she had bitten off more than she could chew?

She was charged at by the monster, who had managed to corner her somehow.

The Summoner went flying backwards, and felt something in her spine _crack _as she landed against a pillar. She was going to feel that tomorrow morning, yeesh. If she survived the battle, that is. At least she landed against something solid and hadn't been flung out of the tower. A smattering of bruises and even a broken spine was preferable to being a bloody streak on the ground.

She felt a hard lump in her mouth, the size of a peach-pit.

The creature didn't give her time to react as it sent another attack at her. She barely rolled out of the way of its tail.

She felt the hard object lodge itself in her throat as the muscles contracted due to her surprise, and she felt it travel down her esophagus unpleasantly.

_What the fuck, _she thought. She hadn't even known what it was. Hopefully it wasn't poisonous. She was already cursed. She didn't need to have an unhealable hole in her gut, or something. The impact against the wall made her head spin with dizziness.

It slashed at Claris, who tried to dodge the sweep of its mighty claws. And failed. The girl cried out, blood seeping out at her shoulder from where an arm used to be.

Oh, that was bad. Kuda's whip, blazing red from Michele's magic, wrapped around its leg and left small dents in the metal. It disregarded the weapon.

Claris faded away into white. The Summoner stared numbly, her mind unable to process what just happened. That feeling, the one of a pulse in her ears after defeating Mifune, had returned.

"-tch out!"

Michele's warning came too late, and the creature was bearing down on her. Each one of its teeth was the size of her forearm.

So this was the end, then, she thought as she was pushed to the side.

The one who ended up ensnared in the creature's jaws wasn't her, but…

Eze glared at her. "I know you're going to freak out about this," he said. "Don't-"

He never finished his sentence, because the monster clenched its jaw, and Eze exploded in a shower of gore and light as he faded from existence.

Batootha clattered to the ground by her arm. She found herself grasping its hilt. It felt cold in her hands. Her throat was burning, and she couldn't breathe. She felt liquid running down her neck. Had her cut reopened, or was it just Eze's…?

The Summoner felt the blood in her veins rushing hot-red. For some reason, her mind was clear. She could see the creature descending on her, blood dripping from its mouth.

_ Ba-dmp._

Michele charged forward, her axes ablaze. She wouldn't get here fast enough. None of them would.

_ Ba-dmp._

The creature opened its mouth again.

_ Ba-dmp. _

The Summoner hefted Batootha up with two hands. It was heavy, and her arms shook as she raised it above her head.

How did Eze manage to fight with it one-handed at times?

Eze…

_Ba-dmp._

It struck, its fangs bared. A light burst out of the tip of the sword, and entered its open mouth. A sound, like a _crackle_, was heard, and then there was blinding white light. She felt her hair whip in the winds that the reaction caused, and closed her eyes to avoid being blinded by tiny bits of shrapnel.

When the winds settled down, she opened her eyes and saw the creature's skeleton, a mess of gnarled metal.

The Summoner felt Batootha slide out of her hands, feeling drained as she flopped to the ground. It, like its master, faded away in that moment.

There was a moment of silence as each remaining member of the party processed what had just happened.

"Well, that happened," the Summoner said.

"Perhaps this calls for some magic training," Zephyr said, eyeing the monster's charred remains.

"So… that was me, then?" she said, finding it difficult to speak. She had the overwhelming urge to vomit.

"There's nobody under your control that can use light-attributed magic, save the Angel," Zephyr said, looking thoughtful, "and no Angel is capable of that."

She wasn't capable of that, either. She opened her mouth to say something, but instead, let out a gross, wet-sounding cough. Then, she couldn't stop.

"Are you alright?" Michele asked, stepping closer to her. Geez Michele, that was an Eze-tier question. But it was okay, since it meant that the girl was worried about her. The Summoner covered her mouth with one hand, trying to control the coughing, and stuck up a single finger with the other hand.

Michele looked concerned, which was scary on its own.

With a final disgusting _hack, _something shot out of the Summoner's mouth and skidded across the floor. Alongside that something, a lot of blood dribbled out of her mouth.

"My stomach hurts," she said, dazed. She was pretty sure that blood was her own, and while she may have had little medical knowledge, she was pretty sure coughing up blood was a bad thing.

Kuda picked up the object she had projectile-vomited, and wiped the blood away.

A brilliant blue. That stone she found from the dragon.

"How did this end up inside of you?" Kuda asked, and she didn't even feel good enough to make a perverted joke about his question.

"I believe that is a magic amplifier," Zephyr said. "It explains a lot."

"Who cares?" Michele snapped, grabbing the Summoner's face and cleaning some of the blood off. "We ought to pay attention to the leaky, dying human the stone came from, not some magic amplifier."

Oh, was she dying…?

She felt a hand on her head.

"Calm down," Kuda said, forcing her to look at him. "Units can't truly die. The next time you summon those two, they'll be fine."

"But…"

"It was painful. I wouldn't have taken an attack like that, but I'm not a fool," he interrupted. "But I don't doubt for a second that the midget and the idiot would rather take the hit for you a hundred times before letting you experience it for herself."

If she cried again, she'd probably get a reputation for being weak-willed.

She found herself not caring much as she raised her arms. Kuda sighed, and let her hug him.

"For having won, you act like you lost," he said, patting her head. She idly wondered if all of her Units would end up doing that, and let herself get lost in the soothing feeling.

"Congratulations~" Tilith said, bursting into existence. "Oops, am I interrupting something?"

"Not at all," the Summoner said, unwrapping herself from the assassin. "It just got kind of emotional, since the battle was really difficult." Her voice was hoarser than she liked, but at least she could speak clearly now.

Hopefully, her eyes weren't _that _red. Tilith didn't seem like she noticed, anyway.

"But you _did it!_" Tilith exclaimed, taking the Summoner's hands in hers. She didn't seem averse to the copious amounts of blood and dirt caked on them. "You've done what no summoner has done before you, and defeated Maxwell's creation!"

The Summoner smiled weakly. "Yeah."

"You might be destined to be Maxwell's nemesis! I'm sure of it!"

"Mhmm."

Tilith pouted. "You could act a little more lively, you know. It feels embarrassing, being the only one excited about this," she grumbled, cheeks pink.

The Summoner was about to respond with an apology, but was interrupted by the ground shaking.

If that was an earthquake, then being on the top of a large building seemed kind of dangerous.

Tilith brightened. "Oh, that's Lord Lucius! He must have something to say!"

Blackness.

* * *

**I am Lucius, god of the Gate.**

I am aware of that, she wanted to say, but back-sassing a god was probably a bad idea. Even if she talked trash about him in her head all the time. She didn't know if Lucius even had a sense of humor.

**Savior of Mistral, **Lucius said. He didn't have a voice, and his "speech" was more like flickering, but the Summoner could understand his intent all the same.

"Hi," she said.

**Use my powers and venture into new lands… Move forth and use your power to bring peace to this world.**

She felt movement around her, and then the light that signaled Lucius's presence grew dimmer.

"Wait a minute, I have _questions _to ask you-!"

She didn't even have time to finish her irate sentence before she fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

_-to? _

_ -up!_

_ -ke up!_

_ WAKE UP!_

Blearily, the Summoner opened her eyes. Tilith was glaring down at her, and wow, wasn't this some type of epic déjà vu?

"How could you fall asleep at such an exciting time?" Tilith demanded.

"I… don't know? I guess Lucius is really soothing or something," the Summoner said, and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

"Since you did such a good job, I can't really be mad at you," Tilith said. She lifted her arms, as if presenting the landscape before them. Her bright smile was a stark contrast from the vicious look she was sending the Summoner's way mere moments ago. "This is Morgan! Since you were able to defeat Maxwell's creation in Mistral, Lord Lucius was able to breach her barrier and open the gate here."

They were standing in a lush green forest, emerald greenery vibrant and buzzing with life. It was odd to think that such a beautiful place was in the grasp of an enemy, considering that it looked so serene. She wondered where her squad was.

"It's nice here," said the Summoner, vaguely remembering what the atlas she read in Karl's room had said about the region.

Tilith nodded. "Morgan used to be famous for its beauty, but nobody has been able to visit since it fell under Maxwell's control."

"That's a pity. But if we clear this area out, people can visit again, right?"

"Yeah! But you should be careful! Since we're closer to St. Lamia, it'll be easier for Maxwell to move against you, so the opponents we'll face will be much stronger. She also has no choice but to take you seriously since you destroyed her Juggernaut."

The Summoner felt… terrified. The fight against Juggernaut had been horrible, and she never wanted to experience something like that ever again.

She was pretty sure that she hated Maxwell.

Tilith continued. "Anyway, you ought to go back to Elgaia and prepare! We can start fresh tomorrow!"

"Hmm, alright," the Summoner said. Then, she remembered something she had been meaning to bring up. "By the way, do you want to-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Tilith had teleported away.

"-get food together?" The Summoner groaned. What was it with Lucius and his associates interrupting her before she could finish her questions?

* * *

The heat of the desert made the air soupy and hard to breathe. She wiped the sweat rolling down her forehead with the back of her hand.

_Tilith forgot to tell her where the gate to Elgaia was. _Lucius transported them to some forest in Morgan, and she knew fuck-all about the region.

Hopefully she wouldn't end up wiping out in some sand dune. That'd be… embarrassing.

She wished that Lucius had given her some other powers, like endurance or _a mini-map_. Not that the ability to command past warriors wasn't awesome, but the frequency with which she embarrassed herself by falling or stubbing her toe on random things was horrible.

Maybe she ought to look into ways to turn some of that latent magic into _active _magic. Or something that didn't require her swallowing part of a dragons' remains and probably eviscerated her organs as a result. She still didn't feel _well, _but she didn't feel any debilitating pain that her meant death was imminent. Was that Lucius's doing? She dreaded seeing a doctor upon her return to Elgaia.

She'd never seen any living humans use magic, so she wasn't sure if she could learn, but it sounded possible, considering that summoners habitually broke the life-death barrier as easily as plucking a fruit from a tree.

See. Her life would be so much easier if Lucius had just given her some legendary weapon to carry her through her travels, or given her a split-personality that was really good at fighting. It was unfair.

In her mind's eye, she could picture Lucius cackling at her and shimmering in seizure-inducing ways. Damn sentient lens flare.

She had the suspicion that every nice person in this world was secretly either a huge jerk or a psychopath. Even Tilith's personality seemed to have darker depths, and it was _Tilith. _

Maybe next time they met, Karl would reveal himself to be a huge bondage fetishist, or something. It wasn't an unbelievable idea.

She looked up at the sound of her name being called.

"I didn't think I'd be seeing you here, of all places."

Ah, speak of the devil.

* * *

** GET IT BECAUSE HE'S A DEMON. OH, THE DRAMATIC IRONY. laughs alone and shoves mouth full of potato chips.  
**

** WELP it's been multiple months. Have essentially what is two chapters in one as an apology. A lot happens, including some love from the ladies, and the Summoner maybe sucking a tiny bit less? I'd like to say that she absolutely didn't one-shot Juggernaut (I'd say it was around 1/3 of its health before Claris and Eze died), but the attack she used **_**was **_**substantially powerful. **

** I was going to include another summon, but then this chapter exceeded 10,000 words (and Karl had to butt his immaculately-styled head of hair into affairs), so that'll be next chapter.**

** I've put up a poll on my profile one of the Summoner's future Units, so you can help decide who she kisses next! I'm kidding about that. So far, one character is just absolutely destroying the others in terms of popularity, which I didn't expect, considering that I added them as a choice in afterthought.**

** I've also put responses to frequently asked questions and questions to anon reviews in my profile! I'll keep them up for about 2?ish chapters, because I don't want to clog the chapters up with review replies.**

** Finally, THANK YOU for your really sweet reviews and messages. Some of you are waaaay too nice to trash like me and it makes me really happy but also like… why… lol. I haven't edited this (as I type this, there are 13,100 words? HOLY COW), so please feel free to point out any disgusting errors/flaws in reviews or messages.**

** Thanks for reading! Especially this time - the chapter's stupid-long.  
**

**BY THE WAY, huge shoutout to Milerin Zailal for being awesome and sharing theories with me and drawing a super swaggy picture of the Summoner! The link's in my profile.**

** -eris**


	7. Chapter 7

"What are you doing here?" Karl asked. He looked genuinely happy to see her, which was weird because in every encounter she had with this guy, she gave the worst impressions ever. Unless he was being nice to her out of pity because she was pathetic. Now, _that _made sense.

"Tilith told me to," she replied. That was pretty much a summary of her entire journey so far: Tilith told her to do x, so the Summoner did it. It also sounded less troubling than "I woke up here after almost dying."

"Tilith is the goddess who you were referring to earlier, right?"

She nodded. "She's airheaded, but really cool. You'd like her, I think." Tilith was vibrant and energetic, and Karl was cool-headed and patient. They'd get along well. In fact, Lin and Tilith would make good friends, too… "Why are you here, then? It's not like the desert's a place most people visit for pleasure."

Karl smiled. "You're right about that. I'm here because – well, let's get out of this sun, first. It wouldn't do make ourselves miserable while catching up." He led her to a large boulder whose shadow covered the both of them with ease.

"As I was saying, I'm here to meet up with my squadmates. We're in pursuit of the demon Graham." He sat down and placed his heavy lance in front of him, leaning against the surface of the rock. She sat down next to him, folding her legs underneath her. Escaping the sunlight really did wonders; it was like the temperature dropped a good fifteen degrees, even though the sand still felt warm through the seat of her pants.

"Oh?"

"He's not affiliated with any of the Four Fallen Gods, but he's a threat all on his own," Karl explained. "My squad has spent most of its efforts over the past few months trying to track him down, but he slips out of our grasp every time."

"He sounds like a real asshole-" she started, and then froze, because she just cursed. In front of _Karl. _She felt like she had said it to like, her grandmother or something, and she had crossed some kind of moral line and Karl the Wholesome and Serious Military Boy would be feel uncomfortable with her vulgarity. Way to ruin things, idiot. "I mean, uh-"

Karl laughed. "Yeah, I'd say you're right."

_Christ, _was this boy even real? She let out the breath she had been holding in, and laughed alongside him.

"At the very least, I know that Graham isn't hurting any innocent people while we chase him down, so I can't say the time we spend is wasted."

"That's fair," she said. "A diversionary tactic is just as effective, even though it'd be nice if he could be stopped once and for all."

He nodded. "Anyway, what have you been up to since I last saw you?"

She paused because, well, a lot happened in the past few days. Karl left before she had even summoned _Kuda_, and that felt like ages ago. Since then, she'd nearly been killed multiple times (once by his replica!) and made loads of new friends. "Truthfully, I don't know where to start," she said after a moment, looking sheepish.

"That exciting, huh?" Karl said, and he didn't seem bothered by her incapability to make conversation. "I noticed your clothes – Noel made those, right?"

"Huh? Yeah, he did," she said. How did he know that? Oh no, had Noel placed some kind of weird mark on her that branded her as a dog of the Akras Summoners' Hall, or something? That was _so him. _

"I recognize the design from his collection of armor prototypes. He really likes drawing," Karl said.

"I didn't know that," the Summoner said. "Are you two good friends?" Considering that Noel made a _mock-unit _of Karl, the possibility was there.

"We're friendly, but I wouldn't call us that," he said, looking thoughtful. "I'd say you two are better friends, if he gifted you one of his inventions."

Calling her _good friends_ with Noel was kind of…

"Wrong! There's no way!" she exclaimed. His supposition was so incorrect that it sent chills down her spine. "He's so cold. I give him nothing but love, but all he does is hurt me." She clutched at her chest. "I wonder if he exchanged his heart for a second brain, or something. It'd explain a lot."

Karl burst into more laughter, and she grinned.

"I'm glad you find my unrequited love amusing. Are all people associated with Akras cruel?" she said with no real venom in her voice, watching his shoulders shake as he doubled over.

"It's been a while since I've laughed like that. Thanks," Karl said, slightly out of breath.

"Anytime." She felt proud that she could make him lose it like that. Even though for all she knew, Karl hung out with people who had the sense of humor of a twig, and rarely got to partake in fine comedy. The Summoner was still glad, because he had a nice laugh and it was a shame that it'd _been a while _since the world last heard it.

"I take it that you've joined the Army, then?" Karl asked. "Friendship or not, Noel's loyal to Akras above all, and wouldn't give technology to someone with other loyalties."

She nodded. She wasn't sure that she considered herself _loyal _to the Akras Summoners' Hall – kind of like Lucius, Noel imposed a lot of different things on her, and it was a matter of not denying them rather than outright accepting them. Still, she supposed that she would follow the Hall so long as her superiors didn't command her to slaughter infant for sport or something equally disgusting. "Noel said that joining was an alternative for incarceration because of my crimes."

Karl raised an eyebrow at her, his jovial nature dissipating and being replaced by solemnity and something resembling worry. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, that's a long story, and it wasn't even that serious," she said. "If we go back to the beginning, first—"

And she would have continued her story, if her throat hadn't decided that it didn't like it when she conveyed her thoughts. She coughed, a few small hacks initially, until she spit up some kind of thick slimy liquid into her palm.

"Sorry for being gross," she said, looking at the mucous substance. Eurgh, she hoped that it would wash out of her gloves. It coated her hand in excess, to the point where a glob overflowed and hit the white sand.

It stained the grains red. She stared at it blankly, surprised at how little it bothered her that she probably suffered severe internal damage. Mostly she was annoyed that her tale was interrupted.

"I might want to go see a doctor for this, huh?"

* * *

"I'm telling you," the Summoner muttered, her face burning red. "Thank you, but this is unnecessary." She pressed her face against her now-gloveless hands, the bloodied garments shoved haphazardly into the pouch strapped to her thigh.

"I disagree," Karl said, smile disarmingly bright.

He was right, but she wished that he wasn't. She probably would have died in the desert if Karl wasn't there. Karl had all but shoved potions down her throat. Then, the two agreed to go back to Elgaia, and she rose to her feet, and managed to support herself for a second before her stupid legs decided to stop working, too. The sand had broken her fall as she passed out, thankfully, but it was still embarrassing.

But falling over was _nothing _compared to this. She'd fall over ten more times gladly if it meant she didn't wake up to Karl… gosh, it was mortifying even _saying _it.

"You could do it a little differently, like over your shoulder," she suggested.

"I wouldn't want to jostle you and aggravate anything," he said. How was he so _unaffected _by all of this? Bastard.

Admittedly, his hands were cool as he held onto her waist and her legs. Noel got that much right in the mock-unit, at least. Or maybe it was that Karl was normal-temperature, and she was burning up because she was a) dying of embarrassment or b) literally dying (on the inside).

"People are staring," she said, keeping her eyes firmly affixed to the ornate walls of the Hall. Well, it wasn't every day that a guy in bright blue armor came in carrying a useless lump like herself bridal-style. It was some real _shoujo-manga _style garbage, and she didn't like it one bit. Karl's chestplate dug into her shoulder, and it was uncomfortable.

"I don't really care if people stare," Karl said. "What I do care about, however, is getting you medical attention as quickly as possible."

She couldn't say anything to that, nor could she look him in the eye, either. Had the halls always been this long?

She didn't know why, but the two of them were downright disruptiveas Karl took her somewhere down the winding halls of the building. People _stopped _in their daily business to turn towards them and watch as he carried her.

It was awful.

Ugh, she gave up. She relaxed in his arms. The Summoner wasn't light by any means, but his grip on her was firm and steady.

"Thank you," she said. "I guess I'll have to save you from a life-or-death situation in the future, so we can be even."

"Let's hope that it never comes to that," Karl replied cheerfully, and that was the end of the matter.

He turned a corner, and then the Summoner realized that she could recognize some of the layout.

"Noel's lab?" she asked.

"I figured that you'd be more comfortable with someone you know," Karl said. "In the end, it's all rather convenient that you joined the Akras Summoners' Hall. Our medical facilities are top-notch, and Noel is probably one of the best doctors in Randall."

Karl stopped in front of the large door, and moved to push the button mounted to the wall to open it, but the door slid open before he could do it.

"Hello," Noel said, sounding stuffy. Which was how he usually sounded. "I've had a cot set up, and you can place her on it."

Karl returned Noel's greeting with a friendly nod, and followed the boy's instructions.

"Okay, feel free to leave now," Noel said, tapping at some sci-fi-looking tablet device. Karl hesitated. Noel looked up at him. "It's nice to be worried for a comrade, but you have a rendezvous, do you not? And the person you have it with doesn't handle tardiness very well."

Karl jolted, as if struck with some kind of realization. "I had forgotten…"

"She's in good hands now," Noel said, "so you can feel comfortable to return to your assigned duties."

The suddenly stressed teen turned to her, looking apologetic. "I brought you all the way here, but I really have to go. I'm sorry."

"Oh, it's no problem!" she said. Why was he apologizing? He was the one who did her the favor. "Thanks for saving my life, by the way."

"Anytime," he said over his shoulder, half-jogging half-running from the lab. She heard the clack of his boots on the ground, and then the slide of the lab's door closing.

She expected some kind of snarky comment from Noel, but there was only silence. The Summoner turned to her favorite broody nerd, and said, "So, hit puberty or something lately?"

"Stop talking. You're going to give me a headache," he said, still tapping fervently at the tablet in his hands. With a snap of his leg, he kicked a rolling chair in her direction, and sat down on it while it was moving, all without looking up. It was pretty impressive.

"Wow."

He ignored her, and held the tablet over her body. She stared blankly at the sleek device. Presumably, it was a body scanner, or Noel was taking photos of her from an extremely unflattering angle.

Noel made a noise that didn't sound very encouraging, his eyebrows furrowing as he leaned forwards, closer to the screen.

"So are my insides liquid, or something?" she joked.

"Just about," he said. "How did you even—" He let out an exasperated sigh, and ran a hand through his fringe. "I might go insane trying to explain this."

"You're not really telling me anything here," she said.

"There's a suspicious object inside of you," Noel said, and boy, wasn't that in the top five things you liked hearing from the person in charge of your health? She was quiet for a moment.

"Can we make it… not… inside of me?"

He squinted at the screen. Then he sat back in his seat, flipping open his notebook to a blank page. "It depends. Tell me what happened since I last saw you."

"Are we not worried about my liquefying insides and my coughing-up-blood thing? And the thing I'm carrying, apparently? It could be the Antichrist, for all we know!"

"Oddly enough, the object is keeping you alive," Noel replied, writing at insane speeds. It sounded like the paper would tear under his hand. "At least, that's what I suspect. I wasn't aware that you were coughing up blood. A side-effect, perhaps? Or the thing is slow-acting…" she blanked out as he started using large words that she didn't understand.

"That doesn't discount my Antichrist theory." They wouldn't want the host woman dying before it was born. _Duh. _

"I don't know what an 'Antichrist' is, nor do I care. Kindly tell me about your experiences, and why you haven't been answering my calls."

"You'll regret those words when this world is plunged into a bloody apocalypse because of the abomination in my womb. Also, your calls? I don't remember getting them."

"It wasn't anything particularly pressing, but it's rather concerning when you don't hear from a soldier in two days."

Two days? Um, what? At her blank look, he rolled his eyes.

"Just start talking. I promise, that'll be the only time you hear me say that."

So she told him what had happened since the last time she went to bother him in his lab – her lunch with Lin, the cut she received from Mifune, the trek up the Tower of Mistral. Her odd defeat of Maxwell's beast, and her conversation with Lucius. Waking up in Morgan and wandering until Karl found her. She talked until her throat demanded water.

"That stone. You still have it?"

"Uh, Kuda has it, I think." She hadn't even checked up on her squad since the battle. What kind of summoner was she, even?

…Claris and Eze. She sat up, only to be pushed down again by Noel.

"Do _not _make me sedate you," he warned. "I fear your obnoxiousness while under the influence of drugs."

"I…" He was right. She couldn't help anyone until she helped herself.

"The physical manifestations of your squad are entirely dependent on your own power. Therefore, if someone is holding an object while they are summoned, and then their form is destroyed, the item is dropped," Noel explained. "The stone may be at the apex of the Tower of Mistral."

Hmm, really? If that was true, then she felt like Kuda probably would have known that. And that meant…

She reached into her pouch, and amongst the assortment of claws and herbs she stuffed in the leather case, the luminous blue object glowed.

"What a clever guy." She chuckled as she handed the stone to Noel.

He took the object in a pair of tongs, and placed it in a plastic bag. "You said that clearing the den and the Tower took place in the same day, correct?"

"Mhmm."

"Well, since you last appeared in my lab, it's been three days. So you have forty-eight hours that are unaccounted for."

…

What.

* * *

Hot coffee. Black, the kind that burned your throat as it went down and clogged your senses with its aroma. Packed with so much caffeine that you _knew _you wouldn't be sleeping once it hit your tongue.

That was the kind of coffee Noel liked, and the kind he filled his mug with after he put _her _to sleep. She had been cooperative, thankfully, taking the drugged drink once he explained his intent to her. He'd suffered from horrible patients in the past; he had a scar on his lower back from the last time he treated the leader of the Sky Guardians that still ached when it was about to rain.

…He did not enjoy treating people. There was a reason, multiple reasons that he became a researcher over a doctor. At the same time, he didn't mind treating her so much.

Yes, she was annoying, and refused to treat him with the respect that his station demanded. He was the head of a department, and she was a rookie summoner. Every time she walked into his lab and desecrated it, she'd leave him with questions. Frustrating questions that demanded answers that he couldn't provide. It was maddening, and this time, she'd given him more than he knew how to handle.

"Hi, Noel!" A female – logistics support; Lin Merylham, recently-promoted Operator of the Grand Gaia Survey Office Bureau of Investigation – chirped, sliding into the seat across from him with a tray in her hands. Noel briefly considered retreating to his lab, but decided against it. She was fast when she wanted to be, even though she had little military training beyond the minimum required to join the Hall. He gave a nod in acknowledgement, hoping that it wouldn't encourage her to speak.

His hopes were futile, which was why he'd given up on such things ages ago.

"Whatcha thinking about? A girl?" Merylham asked. "You're at that age, after all."

Here was another ingrate who refused to treat him like the professional that he was. Her statement was so moronic and presumptuous that he felt like he'd be betraying himself if he didn't correct it.

"I've not the time nor the interest to be affected by matters like that," he replied, frowning.

"That's what they all say," she said, waving a hand. He sincerely doubted that was "what they all" said, but couldn't find the energy to comment on it. Merylham had this quality to her that tired him out. It was like she could absorb the vitality of other beings. "Anyways! Are you thinking about my cute redheaded friend? I heard that _the leader of Nyonne_ carried her bridal-style to your lab! Do you think they're an item? I'm a little jealous!"

Of _who, _Merylham had neglected to mention. Her fast, high-pitched voice only added to the headache digging at his skull. When was the last time he slept…?

And of course Merylham and the rookie summoner were friends. They were both insufferable, and the divine forces that drove the world only existed to make Noel's life miserable, it seemed.

Karl, on the other hand, had attracted quite a bit of gossip with his uncharacteristic panicking. While considered a celebrity in his own right, the boy had never actively sought out fame. Rather, it was awarded to him as a result of his impressive accomplishments. To cause him to behave so unusually... well, the circumstances were unusual as well, but most people wouldn't know that, and the rookie would face a lot of scrutiny when she woke up.

The vindictive part of him crowed in satisfaction at the prospect.

"She's quite injured, actually," he said, and felt perhaps an iota of guilt when Merylham's expression fell, but it was drowned out by relief that she had calmed down.

But like a weed, she sprung back up. "You can handle her just fine though, right?" She stacked her empty plates and dirty utensils together, and stood up. When had she found the time to finish her meal while talking so much?

He felt his eye twitch involuntarily. He was seriously losing it. "Good talk, Noel! See you!"

_Of course I can handle it "just fine," _Noel thought snidely as he watched her skip away. Well, there was the issue of her internal organs, which had been severely damaged. There seemed to be a mechanism in her – _placed by who? _– that functionally replaced them. It was about the size of a human liver, and served the functions of a lungs, heart, stomach, and anything else that was damaged. He needed to observe it further to determine its specific functions, and his fingers itched to take it apart.

At the same time, there was the issue of the mechanism supporting the life of the moron who had injured all of her organs. While he enjoyed discovery like scientists were wont to, he was unwilling to sacrifice a life for the sake of it. That'd be betraying one of the many reasons he became a researcher and not a doctor.

She complained about spitting up blood, so there were also possible negative side-effects to be investigated, and that was better motivation than anything. Her life wasn't in any immediate danger, but it was better to identify liabilities before they became a fatality.

Noel opened his notebook and stared hard at the questions he had written down.

What was the object? Who created it, and whose agenda caused it to be placed in the rookie? Why was she so injured? How was she able to use a Blue Stone, which required heavy refinement to be used in even the most esoteric of spells? The cut on her chin that refused to cleanly heal also concerned him – Noel was very familiar with curses, and that wasn't how curses worked.

Where had she gone for two days? At the time, he hadn't been worried by her lack of responses – it was befitting for somebody as scatterbrained as she was. He didn't know what was going on, but he _was _fairly sure that he wouldn't like it when he found out.

She also took credit for releasing the Mistral region from Maxwell's influence, which was something other summoners hadn't done… well, ever. It'd be a boon to the Hall, because communications would be easier in a region that wasn't heavily influenced by a Fallen God. They'd be able to send lower-ranked summoners to survey the land with more confidence.

A bumbling civilian had accomplished what an entire military couldn't. Admittedly, the threat of the Four Fallen Gods was not urgent, and there was no pressing need to eliminate them, as they'd yet to show any aggression towards humans outside of their domains, but still. He could dress the rookie in as much protective gear as he wanted, but she was still a normal girl playing dress-up. A civilian.

If there was anything Noel was addicted to besides caffeine, it was conundrums. The summoner asleep in his laboratory seemed to be made of them.

He would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it all. He set down his empty coffee mug.

Noel's reverie was interrupted by a _beep _from his phone. A message.

Ah, it was Karl, asking for that girl's phone number.

* * *

She woke up in a chair, her arms sinking into comfortable red plush rests. Her neck was sore, like she'd slept in an odd position for too long. The oddest thing, however, was that she was dressed in the clothes she was wearing when she first landed in Grand Gaia. A white hood, black pants, and sneakers.

Probably dreaming, then. The hallucination was exceptionally vivid. The drugs Noel had given her must have been some crazy stuff, she thought as she tugged at the spot on her hoodie where she had been stabbed before.

She took in her surroundings again. The walls were a tasteful cream, and decorated with dim yellow lights that gave the room – no, auditorium – a mellow, muted feel. It was a nice theater. There was even an orchestral pit, and a stage bathed in brilliant white light.

In front of her, jutting out of the next row's seats, there was a screen that displayed… her own body, lying unconscious in the bed in Noel's lab.

Well, this was trippy. She watched herself for a few minutes. It was as interesting as watching a sleeping person was, so she stood up and decided to explore. Hopefully, she wouldn't trip off any traps.

Except the divine powers guiding this world hated her or something, because as she stepped into the aisle and made to exit the theater, she was bound in something that really resembled Kuda's whip-sword.

And there he was, looming a few rows above her.

"Oh, hi," she said. "Fancy seeing you here." She made a gesture with her head towards the weapon binding her arms to her sides. "Haven't we been through this already?"

Something like surprise flashed in his eyes.

"Your clothes look cooler," she said. His hair was also longer, and decked out with jewelry. The red cloak he draped over his shoulders had _patterns_, and a tattered black cape was layered underneath it. All in all, she was impressed with his swaggy clothes, and the fact that he had her tied up while dressed really well in one of her hallucinations had weird psychological implications that she didn't want to think about. Wait. "Where are my priorities?"

Kuda snorted. It seemed that he was finished with his review of her. He was probably jealous of her super-stylish hoodie (she still mourned its loss outside of this dream-world). Her restraints were removed. He coiled the whip around his wrist as he walked down the steps of the auditorium towards her.

"Your cut's healed," he said, running a finger up her neck to the corner of her mouth. She drew away from his touch.

"That tickles, jerk!" she swatted his hand away, and felt the area for herself. "That's weird, though, because it's not healed in real life. So, what's with the get-up?"

"You're in your own mind currently. Here, I have some agency in my appearance. In the physical world, I'm limited by your power." Kuda draped himself across one of the chairs of her mind (how did that make any sense?) and poked at one of the tablets displaying her body in the lab. "If I appeared in this form while you were conscious, it might kill you."

"Well, I'm sorry for being unable to sustain your greatness," she said, rolling her eyes. "So that means I'm not hallucinating, and you're not the product of a drugged-up fever dream, then?"

Silence.

Then, he sighed softly. "I can't believe I was worried about you," he muttered into his palm.

"Hehe. You were worried about me?"

He gave her a very flat look. She hummed and plopped onto the seat next to him.

"Now, there's no need to be shy! You can feel free to declare your undying love to me any time you like—"

The Summoner stopped in the middle of her awesome joke because Kuda did that annoying ninja-thing of his where he disappeared into thin air. Then he reappeared on top of her, pinning her wrists to the armrests.

"If I did that, what would you do?" He pressed his forehead against hers, his bangs tickling her face as he stared at her, eyes intense green in the dim light.

Her mouth felt very dry all of a sudden. A single thumb rubbed her forearm in a deliberate, sensuous way that made her want to squirm. "Would you accept my feelings-"With his other hand, he traced the edge of her cheek. "-or would you break my heart?"

Words, what were they? She looked up at him with wide eyes. "Uh…"

His eyes were half-lidded. He pressed the pad of his thumb into the soft skin of her cheek. "Really, that was too easy." Then he was leaning against the wall with his arms over his chest, looking smug as hell.

She blinked. He just… he…

"You know, you don't have to resort to physical aggression every time you feel embarrassed," she said, staring at the ceiling as she rubbed at the back of her neck. Man, the ceiling was great. It was carved with cool designs, and was way better than Kuda. The ceiling would never betray her. "I don't think that anyone disagrees with the fact that you're way stronger than I'll ever be."

"You shouldn't make jokes if you can't take them," he said, looking unimpressed.

Ugh, he was right. Damn it.

"Alright, you got me. I've either got to stop being my wonderful humorous self, or I need to develop nerves of steel." She needed to step up her game, or else Kuda would beat her, and that was simply unacceptable.

"I wouldn't know what to do if you stopped acting the way you do," Kuda said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Ha ha ha," she said. "So you said that this is my own mind. What does that mean, exactly, and what are you doing here? Also, why is it a huge auditorium?" It was impressive and nice, but _why_?

"Magic-users can access their own minds with enough training, and can converse with other magic-users telepathically. It's a powerful skill, as it allows one to organize their mind in an instant. As a summoner, you can convey your will to your summons, plan, and strengthen your mental bonds with them in ways impossible otherwise." Zephyr's voice cut across the room, and damn, those acoustics were gorgeous. "I can't tell you why your mind appears the way it does, but it's often a reflection of a place you consider comfortable. A sanctuary, of sorts. There have been cases in which a mind shifts in appearance, or becomes an antagonistic force rather than a sympathetic one."

"And that's a thing I can do?" She was confused, because she was generally talentless and had no experience with magic. Moreover, was Zephyr there the entire time? Because if he was, she seriously hoped that Maxwell would sweep in and murder her where she stood. She wasn't brave enough to ask, though.

…Her sanctuary. Hmm.

"I didn't expect it from you so soon, but I did believe you had the capacity for it," he replied. Zephyr then seemed to melt into the shadows, stepping out from behind a pillar near her. He was also dressed in more elaborate clothing, a headpiece adorning his blonde spikes, his armor much more ornate than it was previously, and whoa, was that a _cape_ she saw?

She was proud of him.

"After reviewing your current condition, you seem to have swallowed a formula that has forcibly placed you in a coma. It's also refined the magic running through you, in an attempt to encourage natural healing. The state of your body is rather concerning…" he said, looking troubled. "While you're in this state, you are completely at the mercy of anyone around you."

"It's okay," she said. "He's grouchy and deeply disturbed, but I trust him." Noel would find a way. She thought of a saying that suited him perfectly – if the wall that he faced was taller, he'd build a longer ladder to scale it.

She'd be fine.

Zephyr looked unconvinced, but then again, he'd yet to see Noel's adorable face contorted into his characteristic scowl. "So long as you feel reassured, I suppose. I do, however, propose that we spend this time productively, and start your magic training. I'm grateful for your companion's formula for that, at least – with you in your mindscape, we've saved quite a bit of time."

Kuda shifted. "How effective would physical training be in this state?"

"Hmm. While she'd suffer from a lack of muscle memory, it does have its merits. Considering that our summoner doesn't know the theory behind common battle strategy, you and Michele have a lot to teach her even without access to her body."

The assassin inclined his head. "I'll have to go over plans with Corkscrew, then."

Wait…the Summoner lifted a hand, but Kuda disappeared from sight before she could say anything.

"That sounds horrifying! When were those two even on speaking terms?"

"Michele is cooperative when discussing tactics, I've discovered. Even more so when it comes to your safety," Zephyr said.

This information dump was on the verge of becoming an overload. Eurgh, if there was a pair who was capable of making her feel agony in her own mind, it had to be Michele and Kuda.

"Shall we move along, then?" She nodded numbly, and let Zephyr take her hand and lead her out of the hall into the expanse beyond.

"By the way." The Summoner looked up at Zephyr, rather than focusing at her feet (and not tripping). He was casting her a look over his shoulder.

"What is it?"

"After the battle at the Tower of Mistral, you disappeared for two days without a trace. While you've not emerged from the situation unscathed, I'm glad you're safe again."

…Oh, that was really sweet.

"Thank you."

* * *

**Then, I realized absolutely nothing happened in this chapter. Whoops. **

**Sometimes, I'm sickened by how trashy I can make this story. Truly, I have no shame. **

**WHAT IS THIS NON-CANON GARBAGE YOU'RE PUTTING IN **_**MY **_**BF NOVELIZATION well I **_**did **_**say it was AU, and it'd be boring if you knew everything that was going to happen in advance. :^)**

**In fic-related news, the poll for the next unit voting is still up, and will remain up until the chapter before the winner appears. Also, the venerable choco-tan99 has drawn me gorgeous art that I'm undeserving of! I've put it on my profile so you all can feast your eyes on it.**

**Thanks for reading! **

**-eris**


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